Super Luigi: Battle Star Legend
by EmblemQueen
Summary: An old story reborn!  Bowser has somehow obtained unbelievable strength and kidnaps Mario, Peach, and Yoshi while Luigi is left stranded on an island. Luigi must prove Bowser's beliefs about him being a cowardly weakling wrong and save his friends!
1. A Friendly Meeting

Super Luigi: Battle Star Legend

Chapter 1: A Friendly Meeting

A dusky afternoon had settled in the land known as the Mushroom Kingdom when two young Italian plumbers, Mario and his brother, Luigi, walked along a dusty path into the outskirts of Toad Town, where the Toads and the kingdom's grand castle resided. The two brothers were to meet their friends, Princess Peach, the heir to the Mushroom Kingdom's throne, and Yoshi, the cheerful dinosaur, for an evening hang out. All four had known each other for many years, almost since the brothers and Peach were infants. Mario and Luigi, though, being brothers, had a bond stronger than that of any friendship they could make.

It should be no surprise why such a bond existed between the two. The most logical explanation would be that the two brothers were twins, fraternal twins to be precise, though Mario is often considered to be the "older twin" because he emerged from his sling first after the pair was brought by a delivery stork. To this day, the two brothers have maintained that bond that many pairs of twins share, though like typical siblings, they also share a friendly rivalry and even quarrel occasionally. Both were so eager to say something that neither of them could refrain from having brotherly conversation any longer.

"Hey, Luigi, you know what being out here always reminds me of?" Mario said as the two traveled.

"Oh? What would that be?"

Mario smiled and viewed his surroundings for a brief moment. Occasional trees lined the pathway towards the destination of the two brothers, with flowers scattered through the grass and birds singing their songs of spring. The sun was shining bright over the horizon while there was not a cloud present in the sky.

"It reminds me of the adventures we've been on. We've had to travel a lot together and that's almost exactly what we're doing now."

Luigi couldn't agree more and returned the smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. If being out here reminds me of anything, it's usually my habit of making myself look silly."

Mario chuckled at Luigi's remark. As much as he didn't want to think negative things about his brother, Mario couldn't disagree. Luigi really had been known to make himself look silly whenever he got into trouble and usually ended up embarrassed about it in the end.

"Like the time I found you clinging to a tree to escape from a bug?" Mario laughed. "I had to slam into it to get you down!" Luigi went red in the cheeks.

"Yeah, well…uh…just be glad I even went out there to get that Power Star for you!"

A few months before, the two brothers had returned from a quest to save the entire universe, which required collecting all of the missing Power Stars, the source that empowered a massive flying observatory Mario and Luigi needed to use for transportation through space. It was owned and run by the watcher of the cosmos, a princess-like woman named Rosalina.

"True, you were a big help out there. I'd have never found the three stars you got if it weren't for you. You've always been good at that stuff, you know?"

"Finding things you can't? Hehe, yep."

Mario shot a glare.

"Do you have to put it that way?"

Luigi couldn't prevent himself from laughing further.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself."

Only a few more minutes passed before the two brothers spotted their friends in the distance coming from other parts of Toad Town. Yoshi could be seen jogging along a group of trees in the direction of the usual meeting spot, his green body almost blending in with the foliage around him. For a dinosaur, he was a very kind creature, and he lived with his own group of friends, the Yoshis, on an island out at sea. The Yoshis had lived there peacefully for many years. It was the place where Mario and Luigi first met Yoshi as infants. The baby Mario had been knocked from the stork's mouth and plunged towards the sea below. He was fortunate enough to have landed on the younger-than-now Yoshi's back while the baby Luigi had been taken hostage by an evil Magikoopa named Kamek, the one responsible for slamming into the stork in the first place. Though Yoshi was in truth a lot older than Mario and the others, he barely aged at all since these events.

Peach was skipping up a nearby path in her usual pink dress which led almost straight to the castle. When Mario and Luigi saw her, they assumed she'd snuck out again, as Toad, the one who kept an eye on her, was always trying to prevent the princess from getting in trouble, even if she was simply going to be in the company of the boys. They never did mind it, though, seeing as they'd be there to guard her if anything happened, and easily convinced Peach that they wouldn't ever snitch on her. Luigi always thought Mario had a secret of his own, however, that he admired the princess. He couldn't exactly blame his brother either if it were true, as Peach was rather far from unattractive, but still wasn't to Luigi's tastes. Peach was pretty, but the whole blue-eyed blondie in pink thing was rather, well, boring. Of course, the green-clad plumber would never say so out loud.

"Hey you guys!" Peach greeted as the brothers and Yoshi approached one another. "It wasn't easy getting out this time, but I managed it!"

Mario and Luigi chuckled again.

"Pulling your usual Toadette-distracts-Toad-while-you-make-your-escape routine again?" Mario guessed with a smile. Peach usually relied on Toadette to distract her male counterpart while the princess made her unnoticed escape, but this time that was not the case. She simply smiled and folded her arms.

"No, you big stinker. Toad isn't falling for that anymore. I had to sneak out through the back of the castle while he wasn't around."

Luigi laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Toad was going nuts worrying about you now as we speak."

"Very funny," Peach remarked. "Now come on, the meadow's just over there."

A wide and open meadow on a hill just outside of Toad Town was the foursome's usual meeting place. It was a beautiful area, the aroma of flowers sweeping the land and peaceful creatures scurrying about on it. A few lone trees were scattered across the meadow, however most of it was open and contained nothing but grass and flowers. It was definitely everything that any group of friends would want to have as a place to hang out. At least that's what they all agreed on.

As the four traversed the slightly steep slope of the hill, they entered the meadow ahead of them. The setting sun was just on the other side, sinking below the horizon. Peach gazed at it with a smile forming on her face and sat down on the soft green grass. Mario and Luigi sat down beside her with Yoshi following. A light breeze blew through the meadow as they sat and watched squirrels and rabbits hurry by.

"I simply love being out here," Peach said, breaking the short silence. "It smells so pretty." She then picked a daisy from the grass and stuck it in her flowing blonde hair. Mario smiled as he admired the flower.

"That looks good on you," he complimented. Luigi secretly rolled his eyes as he reminded himself of his secret assumption. However, Peach caught him before he could do anything else.

"What was that for?"

Luigi suddenly jerked around to face Peach.

"Uhh, nothing. I agree with you though, it is nice out here." Luigi then stood up in the grass and looked around for the nearest tree. Yoshi looked up to face him just as he spotted one to his left. Luigi instantly bolted towards it, hoping to look at the meadow from another angle.

"Where are you going?" Yoshi inquired.

"To get a better view of this place!" Luigi called back. Mario, Peach, and Yoshi watched as the green-clad plumber jumped onto the tree's trunk and began climbing up to the lowest branch while at the same time being careful his white gloves wouldn't get caught to the wood. Even though he knew his brother was probably light enough to sit upon a branch from this large tree, Mario soon followed anyway, just to see what Luigi would get out of viewing the meadow from a higher elevation.

Once Luigi settled himself atop the highest branch he felt would hold his weight, he began viewing the vast meadow before him. He was quite impressed with what he saw, for the meadow looked bigger and even more beautiful from higher up, at least the way he saw it. It seemed to extend further than any of the foursome had ever imagined. Luigi turned around on the branch to see his brother watching him, and smiled as he sat.

"Hey, Mario! You've got to see this! This meadow goes far!"

"Really?" Mario replied, just as Peach and Yoshi had strolled over. "I must admit, I'm curious!"

With that, Mario walked up to the tree trunk. However, just as he was about to begin climbing, a massive boom in the distance interrupted him. The four suddenly jumped in fright, Luigi so much that he lost his balance and fell over, getting his foot caught on the branch, leaving him hanging there. However, nobody else noticed, as their attention was focused on where the noise was coming from.

"What the—?" Mario exclaimed in horror.

To their dismay, the four turned around to see thick, black smoke rising from Toad Town and the castle. Peach gasped in fright at the sight before her and found herself worrying frantically for all of the Toads. Mario shot a grimace, knowing only one creature could be responsible for such an attack, and that was his arch nemesis and the king of the Koopa race, Bowser. Still, why would he return now after being gone for so long? He disappeared without a trace after Mario handed him defeat in the center of the universe. If Bowser was indeed behind this sudden onslaught, his motives couldn't be good. Before Mario could decide on possibilities, however, a grunt interrupted the red-clad plumber's thoughts. He turned around to see his brother hanging by one foot on a branch of the tree he was previously sitting in. All he could do at this was groan and fold his arms.

"Great, now we have a mysterious explosion and my brother is playing hang-man."

Luigi glared as he attempted to disentangle himself, clearly not in the mood for jokes.

"Haha. Can someobdy help me down now?"

Mario heaved a sigh.

"Fine. Yoshi, you and Peach go on ahead. Luigi and I will be right behind you, but be careful."

"You got it," Yoshi agreed with a smile. "Shall we, Princess?"

He motioned Peach to follow him back to Toad Town. Mario, however, sighed again before attempting to help his brother. Still rather annoyed at how ridiculous Luigi looked in the tree, he climbed up to the branch he was caught on and carefully crawled across it, keeping an eye on Peach and Yoshi as he went. Luigi simply stared at the burning castle with worry as Mario began untangling the branch from his foot. By the time his brother hit the ground with a thud stomach first, Mario was already sliding back down the tree trunk.

"Ouch! Thanks a lot."

"Just come on!" Mario barked as he pulled Luigi up by the hand. The two immediately raced down the hill back to Toad Town as fast as their legs could carry them.


	2. Bowser's Return

Chapter 2: Bowser's Return

Mario and Luigi were still moving quickly go to catch up with their friends ahead. Luigi, being faster than his brother, bolted ahead easily, but would not be running much longer. They entered Toad Town again in a few mere minutes, only to find the castle had been set aflame and the Toads fleeing in every direction. The two brothers soon came to a scorching halt in the middle of the path, and frantically began looking for Peach and Yoshi. However, their friends were nowhere to be seen. Still, no matter what happened, the brothers trusted that Yoshi attempted to protect the princess.

Since their only choice was to continue up the path towards the castle, Mario and Luigi broke into a run once more. Both had a hunch what was going on, and they couldn't be more right when they reached the front door of the castle and found none other than Bowser standing there, just as Mario had surmised. He was usually the one behind any serious trouble that erupted in the Mushroom Kingdom, but Mario, sometimes with some help from Luigi and Yoshi, always triumphed over him. Normally, Bowser would just kidnap Peach, but little did Mario and Luigi know, he had other plans on his mind this time.

Standing beside Bowser were two of his primary minions, Kamek and Bowser's son, Bowser Jr. Kamek's reasons for wanting Mario and Luigi's infant forms long ago were still unknown, but revenge was clearly written all over his excited face. Bowser Jr., despite being the youngest of Bowser's eight children, was their leader. The other seven, who were known as the Koopalings, were not present, but presumably either holding down where ever they and their father lived now or attempting to accomplish some other unknown, but related mission for him. Sitting near Kamek and Bowser Jr. were Peach and Yoshi, both bound in ropes. Bowser's minions held onto their ropes and waited for their master's next orders while silently laughing.

Suddenly, as Mario looked up at his nemesis with angry eyes, Bowser's large, clawed hand plucked him by his red shirt and held him up in front of his angry face. Mario had attempted to fight back and free himself, but even with his strength, he couldn't get Bowser to budge even the slightest, nor did his punches do much to harm the large Koopa. Luigi gasped in horror and shakily stood back. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in brooding anger.

"Mario!"

Luigi thoughtlessly leaped onto Bowser's arm and tried to help his brother break free, but it was no use. Bowser had grown much too strong and simply drove his fist into Luigi's entire body. He yelped in pain as he hit the ground flat on his side while Kamek and Bowser Jr. simply cackled with delight at the plumber's misfortune. Mario once again attempted pull free of Bowser's grip, but he still remained where he hung. It wasn't long before the plumber merely dangled there in growing exhaustion.

"Bowser!" Mario exclaimed. "What are you up to this time?"

Bowser laughed malevolently in Mario's face, his hot breath nearly blowing his hat right off his head. His newfound strength coupled with his naturally large size had rendered Mario helpless, his clawed hands clutching the short plumber's shirt tightly. His sharp teeth, big horns, and large, spiky shell were frightening enough to make just about anybody run.

"At last, I have you, Mario!" Bowser finally proclaimed. "For years I've tried to bring you down and keep you from meddling in my plans, but I always met defeat at your hands! Well guess what? This time will be different!"

Peach anxiously squirmed and fought to get out of her ropes and turned her attention to Luigi, who was slowly getting back on his feet. The pain from Bowser's fist still mingling in his body and his weakened state forced him back on one knee. He attempted to stand up once more, but staggered to one side before finally regaining his balance.

"Luigi!" Peach helplessly shouted. "Can't you do anything?"

Bowser laughed once more upon the princess's words and simply watched as Luigi clutched his still-painful body. Mario watched with a grimace, fearful of what he was about to do to his brother.

"You? Stop _me?_" Bowser mused. "That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard! You're just the little cowardly weakling you've always been, Luigi. Even my weakest minion would have no problem tearing you to pieces!"

Upon hearing the word 'weakling' Luigi gritted his teeth in anger and his hands turned into fists once more. He wanted to save his brother and friends no matter what. However, Mario had other ideas.

"Luigi! Get out of here! Bowser's much too strong! Please!"

Instead of listening to his brother's words, Luigi didn't move at all. He simply stood there, the urge in his mind to teach Bowser a lesson growing. Still, what could he do? Bowser had somehow become unbelievably powerful and easily rendered Mario of all people completely helpless. Luigi had no choice but to admit to himself that there was nothing he could do, not with what little strength he possessed compared to Bowser's. He could only remain frozen where he stood and unsure of what to do while anger burned through his mind. His body was shaking slightly as Bowser approached him.

"Yeah, cower in fear like you always do, Luigi! This is why you'll always be a wimp! Still, I have no reason to let you distract me, so I'll just get rid of you!"

Bowser, without warning, instantly produced a bob-omb, a bomb with a face and feet, that was larger than his hand. Luigi's eyes widened when he saw the huge bomb and immediately turned around to break into a run. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be quick enough to escape unharmed. Just as soon as Bowser tossed the bob-omb, its massive explosion surrounded Luigi and sent him soaring into the sky in a trail of smoke. His loud scream grew fainter until he vanished from sight completely. Mario and the others gasped and were stripped of words for several seconds.

"LUIGI! NO!" Mario finally shouted moments later. Bowser merely chuckled to himself while he and his minions carried Mario and the others off.

Later that night, when the stars were shining and the moon was floating overhead, Luigi stirred ever so slightly. His eyelids were ajar for a few seconds, but soon clamped shut once more and allowed Luigi to fall into a deep sleep for the night before he could find out where he was. It wasn't until early morning when the sun rose that he awoke for real and his eyes fluttered open. Only half-awake, Luigi slowly sat up, shook his head, and scanned his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the vast sea in front of him. Around him were palm trees, paths, and more sand. This meant only one thing. Luigi was on an island in the middle of the ocean.

"Ugh… No! How could this happen?" he blurted to no one in particular. "That fiend stranded me…! Ow!"

Luigi instantly brought a hand to his head. Even though it had been hours since Bowser blasted him away, his head still ached uncontrollably. He could barely remember anything that had happened for the next few moments. Then, all of a sudden, his memory seemed to return just like that. The events in Toad Town replayed in his mind at blinding speed, from the moment Luigi and his friends saw Bowser to the moment he soared through the sky. He attempted to stand up, but the impact of the bob-omb had been so great that his arms, legs and body ached all over, and his walking became wobbly. The weakened plumber soon fell to his knees and angrily stared at the ground, unable to bear the uncomfortable pain much longer. Luigi's clothes had also retained several smoke stains, though he didn't particularly care at the moment.

"I still can't believe he's back… Mario… Everyone… What am I going to do…?"

"You can start by telling me what's wrong," an unknown voice replied.

"Huh?"

Luigi looked up to find a blue Yoshi standing before him. The Yoshi's head tilted to the side.

"Ah, hello! I'm glad to see that you've finally awoken. I was on a morning stroll when I ran into hoards of monsters on the paths and then found you unconscious here on the beach. You're Luigi, aren't you?"

"Yeah… You're a Yoshi. That can only mean—"

"Indeed. This is Yoshi's Island. My name's Moshi," the blue Yoshi confirmed. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong? And how did you get here? I'm quite curious and wish to help."

"Right…"

Luigi didn't hesitate to tell Moshi his story, explaining every detail he could remember through his seemingly endless headache. As much as he wished he could shove his fist down Bowser's throat, Luigi knew it was impossible and warned Moshi of the Koopa king's strength. Moshi himself frowned once the plumber's story came to an end.

"Oh, I see. This is serious. I'll tell you what, though. Jump on my back and I'll take you to meet the rest of the tribe."

Luigi agreed and slowly climbed onto Moshi's back. Moshi's frown returned once he took note of the plumber's condition.

"Hmm…you don't look too good. You ought to take a rest when we arrive."

Luigi wasn't hesitant to agree as the two started off down one of the paths to the interior of the island. However, there were enemies everywhere they looked, including turtle-like Koopas, and the small mushroom-shaped creatures known as Goombas, probably from Bowser's army. Luigi attempted to punch them out of the way, but Moshi insisted that he just eat them to save the plumber the energy.

Not much time had passed when the two arrived in a large clearing in the island's palm forest. A group of many different colored Yoshis wandered about in the area, almost as if they were a rainbow. Some were red while others were blue, green, pink, purple, yellow, and orange. Just seeing them made Luigi worry even more for his own green friend. Yoshi's kidnapping would surely affect them all. The tribe soon took note of them as Luigi hopped off of Moshi's back.

"Moshi!" several greeted at the same time.

"And… Oh my, this lad wouldn't happen to be Mario's brother, Luigi, would he?" a light blue Yoshi inquired.

"He is. And I'm afraid we and the entire Mushroom Kingdom might be in danger again," Moshi warned. "Bowser has returned and according to Luigi, he's become more powerful than ever."

The Yoshis gasped and glanced at one another frantically before listening to the same tale Luigi had told Moshi. The entire tribe grew even more fearful upon hearing of Bowser's success in kidnapping not just Mario, but their fellow Yoshi and Peach as well.

"But don't worry! Believe me, I intend to stop him" Luigi promised. "One way or another."

"First thing's first, though," Moshi added. "We need to get you back to the mainland."

"Oh yeah… The only question is how."

"Oh! I saw an old boat on the shore down that way!" a red Yoshi suggested, pointing to a path behind him. "It's got several broken boards, but if we all work together, we should be able to repair it."

"Ah, excellent idea," Moshi agreed. "Our island is full of interesting resources. The monsters that recently showed up here probably left some things lying around as well, considering they're likely from Bowser's goon squad."

"If it's the only way, then I'll go get whatever you need," Luigi volunteered. "I feel somewhat better now."

"I'll go with you," Moshi added. "Four eyes are better than two, you're still not in tip top shape, and you'll definitely need someone who knows the lay of the island."

Luigi nodded, definitely knowing that getting lost was the last thing he needed to happen, and hopped on Moshi's back once more. The red Yoshi who had seen the old boat then named a list of only a few items required to repair the vessel. Moshi then explained that his abilities worked just like any Yoshi's. He can eat just about anything, perform the hover jump, and acquire different skills depending on what kind of Koopa shell he ate. A blue shell would enable him to fly for a fairly short amount of time, a red shell would enable him to spit fireballs, and a yellow shell could let him create small sandstorms once he landed from a jump. Green shells did nothing other than bowl into anything in its path once it was spit out. Luigi soon found himself smiling for the first time in hours. He may not have Yoshi himself for a mount anymore, but Moshi appeared to be just as good.

Meanwhile, far away from Toad Town, Mario, Peach, and Yoshi sat tied up in a cell deep inside Bowser's fortress. The fortress was dark and eerie on the inside with bats and ghosts flying about in the corridors. Bowser himself was nowhere to be seen in the room where Mario and friends were imprisoned, though several Koopa guards were patrolling the area. The trio simply sat there in the cell helplessly, worrying about the fate that had befallen Luigi as well as what Bowser had planned next.

"Luigi…" he muttered, hanging his head in sorrow. "Please be safe…"

Peach looked at Mario for a brief moment, sensing the sadness in his mind.

"Oh, Mario… I'm just as worried as you are. Who knows where Luigi landed out there…"

She worriedly frowned as Mario sat back up to lean against the cell wall, deep in thought about his brother.

"Yeah," Mario said. "That's what worries me. Knowing my brother, though, he's going to save us. I just know he will!"

Peach thought for a moment before responding.

"But Bowser is so powerful now. What will Luigi do? And how will he find his way back to town?"

"I don't know. "But he can find a way. I told him before; he's good at that and even better than me. Where I have brute strength, he has brains."

"I just hope he can get the strength to defeat Bowser."

A silence befell the three friends as they continued to sit there deep in thought. Even though he said Luigi was capable of finding a way to save them, Mario was in reality unsure of his words. Luigi once saved him from a haunted mansion awhile back and stood up to his fear of ghosts, but could he handle this situation as well? Mario then recalled what Bowser said about his brother in town. Though he did not want to think Luigi was weak or a coward, Bowser was right about one thing. Luigi truly wasn't strong enough to defeat Bowser now, though that didn't mean he wasn't capable of getting there.

Mario did know, however, that Bowser was wrong to say Luigi was a coward. Back in the haunted mansion, Luigi, who would normally run off at the sight of a ghost, managed to defeat the king of the Boos, King Boo in the end. Mario also reminded himself of how Luigi had willingly gone out to help his brother during other adventures, convincing himself that his brother was far from incapable of saving Mushroom Kingdom on his own. Mario soon found himself wearing a smile at the thought of what his brother had to do, knowing now that it was Luigi's turn to be the hero again, this time for his biggest solo adventure yet.

Suddenly, just as Mario was about to speak up once more, Yoshi jumped, hinting that a thought had come to his mind.

"Hold on, if I'm not mistaken, Luigi was blasted in the direction of the sea. Unless he missed my island, my friends will help him return to Toad Town. After that, though, I don't know."

Mario suddenly found himself recalling the previous night's events in Toad Town and watching his brother disappear into the evening sky.

"Hey, that's right!" he realized. "It's very possible he landed there. Now that we know this, there's hope that he's alive. Just don't say any of this to—"

Before Mario could finish, an evil laugh and the stomping of giant feet echoed down the hall towards the chamber. Bowser soon boomed in with an evil grin on his face. He immediately approached Mario and the others, cackling at their misery.

"Comfortable? If not, then too bad for you. I could pound you to pieces right here and now, Mario, but what fun would that be? Instead, I have a master plan to destroy you that will be complete in a matter of days!"

Mario glared at Bowser with brooding rage and struggled once more to break free of his ropes. Unfortunately, the tight knot didn't budge.

"Mario, are you nuts?" Yoshi gasped.

"Hahaha! You can try all you want, but you'll never escape! The little red bird will always remain in his cage!"

After chuckling at his own joke, Bowser turned his attention to Yoshi, who soon began to tremble.

"By the way, I have a special plan for your dinosaur friend as well! Don't worry, it'll be ready soon enough! Bwahahaha!"

With that, Bowser stormed out of the room, snickering to himself. By now, Mario was enraged and more worried than ever, knowing now that Luigi not only didn't have much time to find Bowser, but he didn't know it either, and there seemed to be no way for him to find out.


	3. The Battle Stars

Chapter 3: The Battle Stars

Though Mario and the others could do little else but worry, they were unaware that Luigi was already working on returning home as they spoke. All he and Moshi needed to find in order to repair the old boat were rope, a hammer, and some gloo, an extremely sticky, waterproof substance that was only found on a certain part of the island. Finding the rope had already been an easy task due to the fact that it hadn't been far from where they started. A small mound of it was hanging in a tree until Moshi and Luigi floated within reach of it using a blue shell. Afterwards, the pair focused on the hammer. Luigi knew exactly who would have one of those, and it was none other than the Hammer Bros, Koopas who were skilled at using them as weapons. And soon enough, a trio of them appeared in a fairly large clearing Luigi and Moshi had to pass through.

"Heh, how ironic these three will be helping us out," Luigi commented with a smile.

"Yeah well, it's only too bad they'll be getting a clobbering for their efforts!" Moshi added with a punchy smile as the pair charged into the fight. As they zigzagged and jumped around the clearing to avoid the hammers, Luigi couldn't help but notice Moshi was slightly different than Yoshi had been as a mount. His hover jump had more height and lasted longer while his tongue was slightly shorter, or at least it seemed to be when the blue dinosaur would flick it into a Hammer Bro's gut. The three of them fell easily to a combination of Moshi's tongue and Luigi's fists moments later, and all that remained was a single round, golden brown hammer.

"Well, that just leaves the gloo," Luigi analyzed once he picked up the hammer.

"Don't worry, I know where we can find a lot of it," Moshi assured. With that, the blue Yoshi led Luigi down yet more paths through the palm trees.

"This island is full of hills, caverns, water, and the like," Moshi continued. "The Yoshis did quite a bit of exploring while they were helping you and your brother, you know."

"You mean it wasn't only Yoshi himself that did the work?"

"Nope. He did defeat the baby Bowser and rescue you, but all of the Yoshis pitched in when it came to carrying baby Mario around. There was one thing that ensured our victory, though. It was the bond you two share. It was so strong, it seemed to inform each of you of the other's location."

"You know, I can believe that. I do feel like I know where Mario is a lot of the time when he doesn't tell me where he's going. And right now…I feel he's very far away."

"No surprise there, to be honest. But anyway, gloo is found only in a certain cavern here. In fact, we call it Gloo Cavern. It's close to the center of the island."

Moshi continued to lead Luigi through seas of palm trees, grass, and even rock until they finally entered what appeared to be a small cave leading inside of the island. The ground appeared to be moist and soft while much of the walls and ceiling were rock. However, to Luigi and Moshi's dismay, even more enemies had been waiting for them here than outside. Luigi grumbled, but knew he'd have to deal with it if he were to ever get off the island. As the pair fought their way through the scattered enemies, Luigi began to notice many flowers growing all throughout the cavern's tunnels. He'd never seen this species of flower before and curiously wondered if they were related to this gloo substance.

"Alright, here's how this is going to work," Moshi spoke up once the last enemy, a Goomba, was defeated. "The gloo is inside these gloo flowers. We'll probably need to collect at least thirty of them if we're to have enough to repair the boat. Also, we should work quickly in case our little friends in here decide to bring in reinforcements."

"Sounds good to me. I can't afford to delay too long anyway," Luigi complied.

With that, the two began dashing throughout the area, plucking every gloo flower they could reach. It hadn't been a difficult task, for the plants grew just about anywhere they looked inside the cave. Within minutes, the pair had thirty flowers in their grasp and Moshi picked a few extras as a precaution.

"Now all that's left is getting this stuff safely back to the others," Moshi opined once they finished. Luigi silently agreed as he realized enemy attacks could cause them to drop their items. The pair quickly fled the cavern as fast as Moshi's legs could carry them and returned on the path they had previously come through.

Though returning to the Yoshi tribe without allowing so much as a single gloo flower to be dropped proved to be more difficult than picking the plants themselves, Luigi and Moshi fought their hardest against the numerous enemies that still crowded the island. However, it wasn't long before dozens of Goombas and Koopas had the pair surrounded and vastly outnumbered in another clearing. With nowhere to run or hide, Luigi and Moshi could do nothing but watch as their attackers approached them.

"Mama mia! If we don't think of something fast, we're history," Luigi warned as his eyes nervously shifted from enemy to enemy.

"I really wish that weren't true…" Moshi worriedly replied. "Hold on a second! One of those Koopas is wearing a blue shell! That's our ticket out of this mess!"

Before Luigi could make his response, Moshi flung his long tongue at the turtle and pulled it into his mouth. Within the next second, wings sprouted from atop his back and he and Luigi rose into the air. Moshi's new, though temporary, wings fluttered about until the pair could see most of the island and their pursuers were far behind them. Luigi shook his head in shock at the miracle that had just occurred, but hung on tight nonetheless as Moshi began fluttering towards the sea. Luigi contemplated on why he was doing so instead of returning to the clearing where the tribe was until he spotted the Yoshis gathered around a rickety boat sitting on the shoreline. Moshi soon began to descend towards the group until the blue shell lost its powers and forced him to swallow it. The tribe happily greeted the pair.

"You made it back!" the red Yoshi from before observed. "We were beginning to get worried about you two."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Moshi replied. "Anyway, this is the boat you were talking about?"

"Uh huh. It's kinda small, but hey, only Luigi needs to use it, right?"

"Yeah, I should fit in that just fine," Luigi agreed.

"Great, then let's get to work!" Moshi excitedly replied, brushing his hands together. Luigi hopped off of his back to aid with carrying the supplies they gathered.

With that, the repairs on the old boat began. Using the hammer, the Yoshis punched pieces of wood into place after smearing them with the gloo from the gloo flowers. It hadn't been very easy to squeeze the substance from the flowers' interiors due to its extreme stickiness, but the repairers succeeded in closing the boat's holes nonetheless. Because several Yoshis, including Moshi, had worked at the same time, the repairs were done quickly, yet efficiently. As a finishing touch, they used the last of the gloo to paste the boat's one-person seat back together. The oars were still useable the way they were, so they were left untouched.

"That ought to do it," Moshi announced once the last piece of wood was put into place.

"Looks good to me," Luigi commented. "I apologize, but I must leave right away."

"Oh, very understandable," Moshi agreed. "Take the hammer with you, though. It'll probably come in handy against enemies."

"Ah, good idea. I'll take it!"

Luigi wasn't hesitant to receive the hammer from Moshi and climb into his newly repaired boat. He took hold of the oars, but paused moments later out of realization.

"Hold on, how will I know which way to go?"

"The mainland can be seen from here," Moshi explained. "Just head towards it."

"Oh, good. Thanks. I'll see you all around!"

After waving good bye to the Yoshis, Luigi began rowing as quickly as his arms would allow him to towards the faint mainland in the distance. Though his arms had gradually become exhausted, he courageously pressed on, knowing no time could be wasted. After rowing for at least forty five minutes, Luigi finally reached the shallow waters of the mainland's shoreline. He stepped out of the boat and plopped down against a nearby rock. Exhausted from rowing his way back, Luigi sat there for a minute or two while analyzing the choices of paths he had to take. He noticed there were three in front of him to choose from, though he wasn't certain which led to Toad Town at first. The path to his right was blocked by a fallen tree, so Luigi knew that choice was out of the question. Another one to his left was heading south down the shore. That was definitely not the one he needed to take, as Toad Town was not that close to the shore. That left the path straight ahead as the only reasonable choice.

Once Luigi regained enough strength, he set off down his chosen route in hopes he could reach Toad Town without running into trouble. However, it wasn't going to be an easy task, as Luigi soon discovered enemies had begun roaming these areas as well. He then realized there had to be more to Bowser's plot than he let on, not just a craving to get Mario out of the way. If the Koopa tyrant was working on his plans right that moment as he usually did, Luigi would have to work fast.

As he fought his way down the path using either his fists or his new hammer, Luigi eventually spotted the tall castle of Toad Town in the distance. He immediately picked up the pace, and began knocking enemies out of his way instead of taking the time to defeat them. Suddenly, just as Luigi was approaching the outskirts of town, a Pirahna plant stretched out its stem in his path. Because he had been running, Luigi was unable to slow down quicky enough to prevent himself from falling over the creature. He instantly plunged down the slope ahead as a result and landed bottom first on top of a spiky Koopa shell seconds later.

"YOWWWCH!" Luigi hollered as the spikes pierced his rear end. He leaped off the shell into the air once more while clutching his bottom and landed right at the edge of one of Toad Town's roads. A few of the Toads were nearby and soon took note of Luigi's arrival.

"Luigi? Is it possible?" one Toad exclaimed as the small group bolted towards the green-clad plumber.

"Oh, it is you! We're saved!" the same Toad continued, jumping up and down.

"Everyone thought Bowser had…" another Toad began. "You know… We're so relieved!"

"Yeah, but now that we know you're alive, there's hope for the kingdom after all!" the third Toad added. "Please, Luigi! You must help!"

"Don't worry, I intend to," Luigi assured as he stood up and brushed himself off. "Did anyone see which way Bowser went after he attacked?"

"Oh, I'm afraid we were too frightened to notice," the first Toad remorsefully admitted. "But he returned later and took more hostages! He thought Toad and Toadette might go look for you. You've got to find them!"

Luigi's eyes widened upon hearing those words. Toad and Toadette, out of all the Toads, had the most experience when it came to adventuring and even battling evil. Luigi knew very well they would prove helpful to him in his quest, and obviously Bowser had as well.

"What? No! This is bad…" Luigi mused, bringing a hand to his forehead. "Don't worry, though, I'll find them. Bowser will pay for what he's done. Does anyone have any information on their whereabouts?"

"Not…exactly. It happened so quickly and everyone was too scared again," the first Toad replied. "But Toadsworth wishes to see you. He ordered us to let you know when you returned, though some of us, I have to admit, were doubtful of that."

"I don't blame you, to be honest," Luigi commented. "But thanks. I'll see him right away." Luigi quickly waved good bye to the Toads and headed into town.

Along the way, the other Toads gave Luigi friendly greetings. Relief washed upon their little faces now that they knew there was hope for them. Luigi soon realized that everyone was counting on him, just as they normally counted on Mario to protect them. Luigi was their hero now, and he knew he could not let them down. Failure was not an option and it never would be. Once he spotted Toadsworth awaiting him at the castle door, Luigi approached him with great curiosity. The wise old Toad greeted him with a pleasant, yet surprised smile.

"Oh my! Master Luigi, you're alive! Some of the others wouldn't believe me, but I knew you'd return! Come inside, there's much I need to tell you."

Luigi wasn't hesitant to follow.

It had been awhile since the last time Luigi had been inside the castle. He'd forgotten how big the main hall was, and how loud the echo had been. There was a long red rug spread on the floor and several torches lining the walls lit the room. Toadsworth turned to face Luigi once they reached the middle of the chamber.

"I assume the others told you of what happened to Toad and Toadette?" he inquired. Luigi nodded approvingly.

"Yeah. They explained everything they could to me," he recalled.

"Good. Now listen carefully," Toadsworth began. "As much as I wish this weren't true, I'm afraid going after Bowser now would be futile. He's somehow become much more powerful than he was when Mario encountered him in space. You saw how easily he rendered your brother helpless, after all."

"Hmm… Good point."

"There is hope for you, however. There's an ancient Mushroom Kingdom legend that speaks of seven powerful relics hidden throughout this land. They're known as the Battle Stars. It's said they crashed here many years ago and await their rightful master. They're supposed to grant unbelievable strength to whoever carries them. From how the legend describes these stars, just one of them would allow you to destroy, say, the largest house in this town in mere seconds."

"Wow. That _is_ a pretty exceptional ability," Luigi agreed, his eyebrows rising. "But you said only one person can use them. What if I'm not the one?"

"I'm not sure why, exactly, but I have faith that it's you," Toadsworth assured. "The legend also says there's a Grand Battle Star, which houses even more power. I don't know anymore about it than that, but if Bowser has somehow managed to get his hands on it, the results could be devastating if he figured out how to unlock its full power."

"Oh… I can imagine."

Toadsworth continued his explanation by warning Luigi that finding all seven Battle Stars would be no easy task. Enemies now lurked all over the kingdom and posed a threat to any travelers. Luigi would need to learn new skills if he were to best Bowser's strongest minions. The Battle Stars were also supposed to be very well hidden. Anyone seeking them out would have to leave no rock unturned. Luigi fully understood his mission, but was still unsure of a few things.

"So, where do I find these stars, then?"

"Nobody knows exactly where they are," Toadsworth continued. "The legend did say, however, that only one with a truly brave and intelligent mind can seek them out."

Upon hearing that, Luigi's confidence left him. He was best known for his smarts, but that was all.

"I've only been known to act cowardly…" Luigi recalled, his gaze straying to the floor.

"That may be so," Toadsworth replied. "But that doesn't mean you can't be brave. I know you can do this, Luigi. You must! You're the kingdom's last hope!"

A smile broadened on Luigi's face upon hearing those words.

"You're right. I have to do this for everyone. They're all counting on me."

"That's the spirit," Toadsworth praised. "I suggest you head west first. I was just as frightened as everyone else, but I caught a glimpse of Bowser taking his new hostages that way. I can't say the canyon out there is a bad place to keep prisoners either."

"Good idea. I'll go there."

Luigi bid farewell to Toadsworth and dashed out of the castle, his confidence returned.

Upon leaving the castle, Luigi immediately headed for the western paths. As he approached the edge of town again, he said good bye to the Toads and began his big adventure, his confidence skyrocketing. Luigi carried on down the path out of town, thinking of Mario and his friends, and how they were coping. He also wondered what Bowser was planning to do with them or even _to_ them. Unfortunately, Luigi's thoughts were constantly being interrupted by the numerous Goombas and Pirahnas that flooded the area.

Sometime later, Luigi's traveling came to a halt at a fork in the path. The two paths branching out from the main one led in two different directions, one heading slightly northwest while the other headed directly west. The path going west crossed a wide, rapid creek. Deciding the best course of action was to keep west, Luigi headed for the bridge spanning the creek only to find the center of it was gone. The rapid flow of the creek had probably washed it away. A Toad was standing in front of the bridge with a toolbox, ready to repair it. Luigi approached him, curious about the situation.

"Hey, what happened here?" he inquired. "I need to get to the other side of the creek."

"Oh, you see—Hey, you're Luigi, aren't you?" the Toad replied, taking note of the L on Luigi's hat. Luigi nodded with a smile.

"Yeah. I take it you know my brother."

"Yep! Good ol' Mario is always around when there's trouble," the Toad confirmed. "Well, until last night, of course. Anyway, what brings you way out here?" Luigi quickly glanced around before answering to make sure there weren't any monsters present. To his pleasure, there were none to be found.

"Well, I was going to the canyon," Luigi explained. "But the bridge here is out and the creek's current looks too strong to swim through."

The Toad glanced at the broken bridge for a couple seconds.

"Oh yeah, some good for nothing monsters broke it. I came out here to repair it and then all these other monsters showed up. I'm afraid I won't finish fixing this bridge for a good while."

"Oh… Well is there any other way I can get there?"

"Yeah, that other path at the fork can be used as a detour. It leads to the woods up north a bit and it would take you a little longer to traverse than this path, but from there you can continue to the canyon."

Luigi thanked the Toad and quickly headed for the other path.

This path housed different enemies than before. As he pressed on, Luigi encountered forest enemies such as caterpillars and various bugs in addition to the usual Goombas, Pirahnas, and Chain Chomps. He eventually passed by the forest and arrived at another fork in the path. This time, he was able to take the one leading directly west and continued on, thinking about how the repairer Toad knew of him through Mario. It had always been that way, people always saying things like 'aren't you Mario's brother?' when they first met him. It always bothered Luigi since he normally played large roles in Mario's adventures. Hopefully once he was through with Bowser, people would identify him as the hero called Luigi, not just the brother of Mario.

After traveling for some time down the same path, Luigi spotted the canyon up ahead. It was wide and long, going as far as the eye could see. Just as he had finished dealing with a group of Goombas, a small voice shrieked from out of nowhere and called for help. Thinking it was just his imagination, Luigi carried on. Suddenly, he heard the plea again, confirming that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. He immediately raced in the direction of the voice, thinking it might belong to Toad or Toadette.

The cry grew louder as Luigi headed slightly northwest again and eventually led him to an oversized Chain Chomp lying near the edge of the canyon. It was fast asleep in the dirt, unaware of Luigi's presence. Its chain was hooked to a large stake planted in the ground. Luigi tip toed past the fearsome creature and found none other than Toad and Toadette trapped inside a wooden cage. Apparently, Bowser must have left them there as the Chain Chomp's lunch. The two jumped with excitement when they saw Luigi.

"Luigi!" Toad gasped. "Thank goodness! We're saved!"

Luigi brought a finger to his mouth.

"Shhh! I'll get you two out of here, but you need to keep quiet or else Jaws over there will wake up."

"P-Please hurry!" Toadette plead, shivering at the thought. Luigi nodded and scrutinized the cage for a possible way to open it. However, he wasn't paying enough attention to where he was walking and accidentally kicked a rock in the dirt mere seconds later. The Chain Chomp woke nearly instantly and soon spotted Luigi by the wooden cage. _Mama mia, now I've done it! _Luigi thought with a worried look on his face. The Chain Chomp lunged straight for him immediately. Luigi, being a slightly better jumper than Mario, leaped out of the way and vaulted on top of the creature. It suddenly began leaping about in brooding anger as if it were a bucking bronco.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Luigi hollered, struggling to keep his grip on the creature. He soon noticed as the Chain Chomp was jumping around, the stake its chain was attached to was coming loose. A green Koopa shell was sitting in the dirt nearby. Luigi smiled and leaped off the creature to pluck the shell for himself. He dodged the Chain Chomp's next attempt at lunging for him and when he drew close enough to it, he tossed the shell at the stake. It came even looser and the shell had regenerated where Luigi found it. Apparently it was one of those many spots he and Mario came across where the item or power up sitting there regenerated once it was used. Luigi continued to toss green shells at the stake until it was finally forced out of the ground completely. The Chain Chomp began chasing him once it was free, but that didn't stop the green-clad plumber. Luigi lured it to the edge of the canyon and let it leap into it. He watched it descend to the ground below. He plopped to the ground afterwards, exhaustion spreading through his body like a plague.

"Wow. I almost can't believe I got rid of that thing."

"Luigi!" Toad called.

"Oh, coming!" Luigi dashed up to the wooden cage and decided the only way to open it was to smash through it. After shouting, "Stand back!" Luigi raised his hammer and swung it into the cage's wooden bars. They broke into pieces instantly and Toad and Toadette rushed out into freedom.

"Oh thank you, Luigi!" Toadette exclaimed happily. "I thought that thing was going to eat us!"

"Yeah," Toad added. "I suppose Toadsworth told you everything?"

Luigi nodded.

"Yeah, he told me everything I needed to know. The legend of the seven Battle Stars, how I can find them, and where you both might be."

"Good," Toad replied. "I suggest you keep going into the canyon and see if one of those stars is there."

Luigi couldn't help but smile.

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

He bid farewell to the two Toads and carefully looked around for a possible way into the canyon. It didn't take long for Luigi to notice a winding staircase situated behind the area the Chain Chomp slept in. He immediately began to descend it, the thoughts of his brother and friends whirling in his mind.

_Don't worry, guys. I know what to do now._


	4. Princess Daisy

Chapter 4: Princess Daisy

By the time Luigi reached the base of the deep canyon, his feet had become uncomfortably painful from all the walking he had done. He sat down on a nearby rock for yet again another rest, wondering if Mario ever had this problem. Luigi hadn't been resting for more than a few seconds when he saw the giant Chain Chomp from before lying on its side in the dirt only feet away from him. Stunned, Luigi couldn't tell whether it was dead or simply unconscious. Whatever the case, it was completely barricading one side of the canyon, so Luigi quietly stood up and tip toed in the other direction, running away when he was far enough. Dealing with the Chain Chomp again was the last thing he wanted to do.

Luigi slowed down once he was a safe distance away from the fearsome creature. He came to a halt once more and plopped down in the dirt. It felt much better to be off his feet for a few minutes again. Luigi glanced down the canyon and then at his feet, thinking of his captured brother.

"Mario must have feet like rock if they don't hurt like this."

Suddenly, the wind picked up instantaneously, and Luigi was pushed over. He tried to keep his balance, but only continued to be blown into the dirt. Enemies nearby attempted to attack Luigi, but the plumber fairly easily knocked them out of the way with his new hammer as well as his fists. Hammer Bros, Boomerang Bros, and various other creatures were scattered about the area. Just as the weather finally chose to allow Luigi to return to his feet, he spotted another large creature and what appeared to be the figure of a person in the distance.

As he squinted for a closer examination, Luigi noticed his mind hadn't been playing tricks on him. As he drew nearer and nearer to the two figures, he began to make out details. A blue-eyed, brunette girl wearing a yellow and orange dress was dashing about to avoid being crushed by the legs of a giant, flat-backed bug. She seemed to be unsure of how to defeat the creature. From the flower crown sitting upon the girl's head, Luigi could easily guess she was a princess, though she didn't appear to have any relation to Peach whatsoever. He approached her regardless, as he desired to aid her and wondered not only why she was attempting to fight the insect, but the reason she was even traveling alone in the first place.

"Hey! Where'd you come from?" the girl called when she saw Luigi attempt to strike the bug's leg with his hammer. Before he could reply, Luigi was whacked against the canyon wall by the leg he meant to hit due to not having raised his hammer quickly enough. He descended to the ground below, grimacing at the sharp pain in his back from the blow.

"Atop the canyon…" Luigi finally replied as he scrambled to his feet. "Not to sound rude, but have you lost it? You're a princess, aren't you? How do you expect to take this thing down on your own?"

The girl bolted to the side as the insect attempted to give her the same treatment it handed Luigi.

"I am and I'm not sure. And I might not look like it, but I'm a fighter and I'm tough. I don't back down if I think I can kick someone's butt. If you're gonna help me, though, you're not gonna defeat this guy by hitting it with a hammer. I think you have to stomp on its back really hard. Like this!"

The girl performed a demonstration as she jumped as high as she could into the air and then landed with a striking thud on her feet.

"I see," Luigi commented.

"What I don't know is how to get up there," the girl continued.

"Hmm…"

Luigi quickly glanced around as he and the girl continued to dodge the bug's repeating attacks. He smiled as he eyed the canyon walls.

"I've got an idea. Follow my lead." He then raced to the wall and launched himself off it into the air. The girl repeated Luigi's maneuver and soon both were airborne directly over the insect's back. The two followed up with the ground pounding technique the girl had shown and drove their feet into the creature's back. The bug was instantly squished and girl jumped with glee.

"We did it! That takes care of that!"

"That's good," Luigi agreed. "If my back got hit one more time, I'd be sore for a month."

The girl giggled at Luigi's remark. She seemed to have already taken a liking to him. When she spotted the L on Luigi's hat and noted his appearance, however, she fell silent for a few seconds.

"Wait a minute…Luigi!"

Luigi's eyebrows instantly shot up to the brim of his hat.

"How do you know who I am?"

The girl smiled and brought her hands to her hips.

"Your brother, of course. I'm Daisy, the princess of Sarasaland. Mario has told me all about you." Daisy went on to explain how Mario once saved her from a villain whom attempted to take over her kingdom. The evil creature had done so by kidnapping Daisy and trying to force her into marriage with him. It had been awhile since she had last seen Mario and Peach, who happened to be her best friend, and planned a surprise visit.

Luigi remained silent for the next few moments. He knew Mario had been outside Mushroom Kingdom before, but not to another kingdom altogether. Curiosity struck Luigi as to why Mario never mentioned this adventure to him in the past. However, this soon led him to another train of thought. Daisy had no knowledge of Bowser's attack on Toad Town or that he took Mario and Peach hostage. Though he knew the news would not please her, Luigi would be just as terrible not to tell her about it before she grew too excited.

"I see," he commented. "But, well…about this visit of yours…"

"Yeah?"

"It's…going to have to wait."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"Well…see, Mario…he and Peach have been kidnapped, along with another friend of ours," Luigi reluctantly explained. He told Daisy of the events in Toad Town and Bowser's plot to destroy Mario. Daisy's frown did not disappear at hearing this news, but upon hearing Luigi say he was going to save his brother and the others, her spirits were quickly lifted. She brought her hands to her hips once again and smiled.

"That's brave of you! And I guess this attack you're telling me about explains the monsters that I've been running into?"

Luigi nodded and then told Daisy of his quest to find the Battle Stars and attempt to use their power to defeat Bowser. He told her everything Toadsworth had explained to him in Toad Town and left out no important details. Daisy understood completely and smiled.

Suddenly, before either of the two could get out another word, a mound of dirt soared over their heads and the sound of a crash echoed nearby. Luigi looked up to find the giant Chain Chomp had regained consciousness, as well as its desire to destroy him. Now angrier than ever, the creature flashed its sharp white teeth. Luigi and Daisy merely stood there and moved very little if at all. Daisy glanced at the Chain Chomp and then at Luigi.

"Don't move a muscle," Luigi advised quietly and slowly. Suddenly, the creature lunged towards them at blinding speed. Luigi gasped and pulled Daisy out of the way with him. The two landed in the dirt beside the Chain Chomp with a thud, coughing from the kicked up dust and dirt.

"Oh yeah, got any more bright ideas, genius?" Daisy retorted.

"Yeah, RUN!"

The two then bolted down the canyon as fast as their legs could carry them. Daisy glanced behind herself several times to see if the Chain Chomp was following them while Luigi was attempting to come up with yet another way to get rid of the creature for good. He smiled when he saw the Chain Chomp almost collide with the canyon wall. Luigi turned to Daisy and motioned her to follow him.

As all three of them continued down the canyon, Luigi and Daisy lured the Chain Chomp into ramming head first into canyon walls whenever the opportunity arose. Suddenly, the two found themselves cornered at a curve in the canyon, though the creature didn't lunge for them this time. It merely sat there instead, its white teeth craving to sink into their flesh. Luigi then recalled what he had done at the top of the canyon before entering and leaped for the wall. Daisy watched as he bounced off of it and followed with a back flip onto the Chain Chomp's head. As it had before, it began leaping about.

Just moments after Luigi had landed, the creature turned to face the wall. Luigi drove his heels into the hard metal of the Chain Chomp's body and forced it to go straight into the wall once more, this time with greater force. Rocks immediately began flying everywhere upon impact, and Daisy's eyes widened when she saw one heading straight for Luigi.

"LOOK OUT!"

Luigi heard the princess's cry and quickly dove off the Chain Chomp, barely noticing the rock that targeted him out of the corner of his eye. The rocks were so massive and fell so hard that they crushed the monstrous creature and destroyed it. Luigi and Daisy merely stood there once the chaos had ended, their mouths hanging open, though it wasn't because they managed to defeat the Chain Chomp for good. The creature's collision had revealed the opening of a cave that had apparently been closed up prior to their arrival. Luigi quickly rejoined Daisy, hoping his mind wasn't playing tricks on him for real this time.

"Whoa… Do you see what I see?" he inquired.

"Yeah…" Daisy replied. "Hey, maybe one of those stars you're looking for is in there. You should check it out." Luigi faced the cave and examined what he could see of the inside. It was dark, quiet, and possibly filled with traps and enemies. Luigi couldn't prevent himself from gulping, and hoped Daisy didn't notice. This was no time for cowardice and Daisy had already complimented him for his bravery in deciding to take on Bowser when the time was right. Plus, the entire Mushroom Kingdom was relying on him and would continue to do so as long as he was capable of rescuing them. Luigi quickly gathered his courage and confidence and bravely turned to face Daisy.

"You're right. But listen, while I don't doubt your abilities, I think you'd be safer if you didn't come with me."

"I guess. Who knows what you might run into in there," Daisy agreed. "I think I can still help you on your quest, though. I'm going to head to Toad Town anyway as I originally planned and help keep an eye on things there. In addition, if I find out any information you might need, I'll be sure to let you know."

Luigi smiled upon Daisy's offer.

"Thanks. I'll rejoin you there as soon as I finish here."

Daisy nodded and returned the smile.

"See you later!" she replied with a wink. Luigi watched Daisy race away to the same staircase he used and disappear at the top. He couldn't help but smile confidently and feel that she would not let him down.

Once Daisy was out of sight, Luigi returned his attention to the cave. He immediately approached it and fearlessly disappeared into the darkness, nothing but newfound courage running through his veins. Luigi would prove Bowser's comment about his strength and cowardice wrong no matter what, and become the hero that the Toads and his friends needed him to be. In fact, one could almost hear Luigi mumble as he went inside, "This is for you and the others, Mario…"


	5. Alvaro Cave

Chapter 5: Alvaro Cave

Luigi found himself in a long, dimly lit chamber as he began his journey inside the cave. Not long after he had first entered, however, the wall suddenly descended behind him, sealing it shut. After nearly jumping in his footsteps, Luigi turned his attention to the tunnel ahead. _Well that's just terrific… _he thought to himself with irritation. _Explains why this place was sealed up before, though. _However, Luigi soon forgot about being trapped and spotted what appeared to be writing inscribed on the wall between two torches. He quickly approached it out of great curiosity and soon discovered that the inscriptions were indeed words and readable ones at that.

"Alvaro Cave. Proceed cautiously or wander lost in the darkness forever," Luigi read. "Yeeesh! Mama mia, that's creepy. Looks like I've no choice but to try conquering this place. Even if I wasn't trapped, though, I'd still continue because one of those Battle Stars might be here."

With that, Luigi pressed on. The only sources of light present were the few torches lining the walls, which was barely enough for the green-clad plumber to see the long tunnel ahead of him. Regardless, he continued in hopes of locating the first Battle Star, nearly praying that he was the 'rightful master' in the legend Toadsworth spoke of. This soon led Luigi to another train of thought. Exactly how would he know if he was the chosen wielder of the Battle Stars' power? He could only guess that he'd somehow feel their strength flowing through his body once he touched them. Still, what if nothing happened? If Luigi wasn't the 'rightful master' then would he be able to seek out the one who was before Bowser reached his goals? Only time would tell.

Suddenly, without warning, a boomerang flew out of the darkness ahead and into Luigi's path, snapping him out of his trance. He ducked so quickly, however, that he lost his footing and tumbled backwards.

Luigi sat up and shook his head moments later, only to find a Boomerang Bro standing before him, blocking his way forward. The creature attempted to strike him again, but its boomerang missed as the quick plumber vaulted out of the way. Before it could toss another boomerang, however, Luigi swung his hammer into the creature's face, sending it spiraling into the wall. The plumber quickly fled afterwards.

As Luigi battled his way through several more Boomerang Bros as well as Goombas and various other enemies, the path twisted and turned, like the movements of a traveling snake. The tunnel finally came to an end at a rather large intersection that split into three different paths. This next room was massive and full of rocky walls in addition to more snake-like paths. It didn't take long for Luigi to figure out he was standing in a big maze. He simply stood there upon realization, not sure if it should be a shock or not. However, now knowing that he had no choice but to rely on luck to find the correct paths since he had no map, Luigi entered one of the few available. It frustrated him to know that not even brains could save him here.

Luigi soon discovered that there was more truth to this than he had surmised. Despite having been sure he'd chosen the best possible path, he was led to his first dead end. And standing there in front of the wall ahead was a Hammer Bro. Luigi stood there with anger boiling in his mind, remembering the bad experiences he's had with these guys, such as actually getting captured by a group of them along with Mario in the past. Once the Hammer Bro spotted Luigi, he immediately chucked hammers into his path. Unfortunately for Luigi, this one was throwing them at a faster rate than the previous Hammer Bros he'd encountered and there was not much room between the maze walls for him to evade the attacks, making it all the more difficult to fight back. Luigi then remembered his own hammer and realized there was one possible way for him to counterattack. He quickly drew the wooden weapon, held it outward, and began to spin. Just as Luigi surmised, his hammer deflected those of the Hammer Bro, sending them right back to their target. The creature fell after being struck in the head with his own hammers three times.

"This is too easy," Luigi commented afterward, bringing his hands to his hips. "Getting through here ought to be a piece of cake."

Unfortunately, there was more to the cave than the plumber anticipated. This portion of maze wasn't very large in size, but once Luigi reached the exit after running into several more dead ends, he was forced into a halt. Guarding the way forward was a rabble of Dry Bones, undead Koopas, and they instantly approached Luigi. Both he and Mario encountered these creatures many times during their adventures, but never found a way to defeat them for good. Once their bony bodies were disassembled, they always managed to pull themselves back together. It often annoyed the two brothers whenever they had to deal with them over and over. Now, however, all Luigi had to do was smash his way through using his hammer and then make his escape down the next tunnel.

After he'd done so, Luigi sped down the winding tunnel ahead, hoping to avoid another encounter with the Dry Bones, and arrived at the next portion of the maze. Five different paths now stood before the nervous plumber, as he assumed this section was much larger and more complicated than the previous. Luigi merely stood there for a minute or two, wondering how much farther he would have to go before he'd reach the end of the cave.

"Mama mia…" Luigi groaned. "Will this ever end?"

Even though he was a bit reluctant to continue, Luigi chose a path and entered the maze. As before, it hadn't taken him long to run into dead ends, because there was still no way for Luigi to know where each path led before following them. And once again, he found Hammer Bros or Boomerang Bros at each dead end. Only this time, they were in pairs. Luigi had to admit now that he was just about as annoyed with these creatures as he was the Dry Bones. Thankfully, however, this section of the maze proved large enough for Luigi to eventually become used to seeing them.

Sometime later, Goombas began appearing within the maze's corridors, upping the difficulty of reaching the exit. Though by now, both Mario and Luigi ate these creatures for breakfast. It wasn't much of an extra challenge. However, Luigi soon discovered that the Goombas hadn't been the only change in the second half of the maze. The next instance the plumber met a dead end, he faced a bro Koopa once more. Only this time, it carried Bob-ombs in its hands. Luigi's eyebrow rose in slight shock.

"Bob-omb Bros, eh? It's about time Bowser comes up with something new."

Before the plumber could make a move, however, the Bob-omb Bro chucked its explosives right for him.

"Yeeesh!" Luigi blurted as he barely dodged the Bob-ombs. "I'm outta here!"

With that, he turned around and broke into a run. However, the Bob-omb Bro wasn't through yet.

"Mama miaaaaa!" Luigi nervously hollered as the creature tossed more Bob-ombs at him. Thankfully, he managed to turn a corner without being struck.

As he continued on and headed for the next exit, Luigi was eager to get away before anymore enemies gave him trouble. Right when he approached the next tunnel, however, Luigi found himself caught in another skirmish. A pair of Bob-omb Bros guarded the way forward this time, their evil eyes showing no mercy for the green-glad plumber. Luigi's teeth gritted with slight nervousness as he eyed the creatures, but knew he'd have to deal with them even though he definitely was not fond of the idea of being blasted away again.

The Bob-omb Bro on the right laughed hysterically before making a move upon its target. Luigi almost rolled his eyes at it, but didn't get a chance when the creature finally chucked its explosives. The plumber quickly side-jumped to evade it and then vaulted towards the Bob-omb Bro's head. However, before Luigi could land, however, it already produced more of its weapon. Luigi was unable to stop and landed right on top of the creature's head, causing its explosives to detonate below him.

"AHHHHH!" Luigi screamed as he leaped into the air again and ran around in circles clutching his burning rear end. "YOWOWOWOW!"

Thankfully, Luigi's maneuvers easily allowed him to evade the attacks of the remaining Bob-omb Bro while the first had been defeated in the explosion. This time, once the resulting pain from his earlier assault died down, Luigi drew his hammer and used the same trick he had pulled against the other bros. He just barely managed hit the creature before it could ready another set of Bob-ombs and blew it straight into the wall. Upon sighing with relief, Luigi merely stood there and panted for the next few moments. Dealing with these new enemies had been more difficult than he had anticipated, even though they still hadn't offered him a true challenge. Regardless, the plumber continued into the next tunnel a short time later.

Much to Luigi's surprise, however, the tunnel turned out to not be a tunnel at all. Instead, it was a small chamber containing nothing but a winding staircase. The staircase was dark and even more dimly lit than the tunnels were. Its railing was carved into the shape of a snake, probably to symbolize the winding corridors and maze paths in the cave, but Luigi didn't care. He was not about to let anything frighten him after he'd come so far and proceeded up the staircase. At the top, however, Luigi stopped dead in his tracks while his mouth dropped open. Before him were two more staircases, both bearing the same appearance as the one he'd just come up. Luigi soon realized he was in yet another maze, but of a different sort this time around.

Instead of choosing a path in a large assortment that took up an entire chamber, Luigi now had to navigate his way through a maze of staircases. However, despite there being fewer choices of ways to go, this maze proved to be more difficult to traverse due to the way forward not being as easily identified. Luigi could choose one staircase, and then the next two could both lead to dead ends. Knowing he had to be even more careful about his choices than before, Luigi decided to proceed with great caution. The incorrect staircases likely had enemies waiting for him at the end, probably more Bob-omb Bros as well as the bros Luigi was already very familiar with.

And just as he had surmised, every dead end Luigi came to this time either held a pair of Bob-omb Bros, Boomerang Bros, or Hammer Bros, or a mix of the three. Luckily, he was not forced to fight many of them and was able to escape most of his encounters and was especially glad when the light in the staircase chambers gradually grew brighter.

About three fourths of the way, the staircases began to grow shorter. Thinking he must have been approaching the top of the canyon, Luigi continued working his way up, hoping he'd find the first Battle Star either at the cave's exit or somewhere before that. He moved quicker than ever to get out and see the light of day once more, though it seemed almost impossible from the number of dead ends he was coming to. It didn't stop Luigi, however, as he was more determined than ever to succeed in locating the star for his captured brother and friends. The thought of success began to make his heart pound with excitement as he raced to get out of the cave. Luigi could already see the smile on Mario's face when he found out his brother fought his way through a puzzling cave and defeated tough enemies on his very own.

After racing up a few more staircases and dealing with several more dead ends, Luigi finally came to a single staircase with sunlight shining upon its rocky surface. He happily bolted up the stairs and into the sunlight, his heart racing faster than ever. However, Luigi had completely forgot he still found no Battle Stars, and once he was outside on the rocky, hard ground of the canyon's edge, he realized he was empty handed. Luigi merely stood there, clueless about what to do or where to go next.

"I sure am glad to finally get out of there, but now I feel lost…" he uttered as he began wandering about.

Luigi would have decided to follow the canyon in hopes of finding the star elsewhere as well as a way back across, but Luigi soon noticed he was in a fairly large clearing in the woods that was completely surrounded by rocks and tall trees with no means of escape. Directly at the opposite end of the clearing from Luigi sat what appeared to be the entrance to an underground shrine. The stone it was made of was shaped into square blocks and appeared to be ancient compared to modern buildings in the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi slowly began walking towards it, thinking it had to house either the Battle Star or something just as valuable. No shrine like that was there for no reason, and he knew it all too well. Suddenly, the ground began to shake intensely below Luigi's feet, causing him to stagger forwards and backwards until he toppled over.

Before he could get up, however, a massive undead snake suddenly flew into the air from underground. Its bones knocked loudly against each other and made an impact so great upon landing that the ground shook even more than before. Luigi remained frozen in his footsteps as the snake roared loudly. He attempted to rush past it and escape into the shrine, but discovered that rocks from the creature's bursting out of the ground now blocked the entrance. The plumber had no choice but to fight the fearsome snake if he wanted to explore it. Luigi merely stood brave and firm, clenching his fists together and getting ready for an intense battle.

The snake, whose name was Bonetail, immediately lunged for Luigi and attempted to strike him with his bony tail. Luigi, however, was too quick for the fearsome creature and vaulted out of the way. Bonetail immediately turned around and lunged once more, this time snapping at Luigi with his powerful jaws. Luigi, who was busy seeking an opening for attack, evaded the assault yet again by leaping to the side. Just as the plumber had come up with a strategy, however, Bonetail began flinging his own bones in his path. Luigi quickly began to circle the beast in order to evade the bones and drew his hammer in hopes both he and the weapon itself would be strong enough to knock them back. There was only one way to find out and it took mere seconds for Luigi to go into a spin and begin deflecting the bones. To his pleasure, they struck Bonetail squarely below his head.

"Aha," Luigi commented as he vaulted to the side to avoid Bonetail's tail once more. He patiently awaited the moment the fearsome snake would fling its bones again.

The battle drew on for another twenty minutes as Luigi continued knocking back Bonetail's bones. However, the snake soon realized he was not going to defeat his opponent this way and changed his tactic. Instead, he repeatedly lunged at Luigi with his jaws and at blinding speed. Luigi, frantically wondering what to do now, leaped out of the way and let the creature crash to the ground. He then glanced at the rocks blocking the entrance to the shrine and soon formed a solution. Luigi quickly scrambled in front of them and turned to face Bonetail.

"Hey! I'm over here, you overgrown bag of bones!" he shouted as he waved his arms. This remark made Bonetail's roar even angrier and his maneuvers even more ruthless. He slithered as fast as he could and lunged for Luigi once again. Luigi vaulted out of the way once more, allowing Bonetail to crash head first into the rock. He smiled confidently when he spotted a crack forming in the rock. A few more strong blows and it would have to break.

Luigi then repeated this tactic and watched as the crack expanded and branched further. He continued to smile to himself so long while doing so that he almost wanted to praise himself for always being smarter than his brother. He had reason to think so, as Luigi came up with most of the plans and strategies during his and Mario's travels and he found the Power Stars housed in the most elusive locations during their quest in outer space. The plumber's grin soon grew larger, however, as Bonetail crashed into the rock a third time. The cracks now covered close to the rock's entire surface. Luigi could only continue pressuring the snake to lung at him again until he would attempt to strike.

"Yahoo!" he excitedly shouted with a smile as he leaped again. Bonetail had collided with the rock for the last time. It shattered into large chunks and Bonetail collapsed to the ground in a pile of bones. Luigi ducked for cover as some of them had flown in his direction. Once the chaos had completely died down, Luigi smiled once more and brushed his hands together.

"That takes care of that."

With that, the plumber raced down the newly opened staircase and into the shrine. Inside was a single, small chamber lit by a few torches. The blocks of stone making up each wall indicated that it was man-made. Below a pair of torches on the back wall, sat a stone pedestal built onto an altar. Upon the pedestal was none other than a five-pointed star, the light of the burning torches reflecting brightly off of its shiny green surface. Luigi's open smile lasted moments once he approached the relic and gazed upon it. It had to be one of the Battle Stars. There was no other possibility. Luigi's gaze remained upon the bright green star as he took it from its resting place. He smiled happily as he recalled what Toadsworth had told him back in Toad Town. _Only one with a truly brave and intelligent mind can seek them out._ It meant Luigi was indeed brave and brave enough to find all seven Battle Stars.

"Luigi," a familiar female voice suddenly spoke up from behind him. Luigi froze for several moments upon hearing this voice, not wanting to believe it was who he thought. Regardless, he slowly turned around to find the very same Rosalina whom had aided him and Mario floating in front of the staircase.

"Rosalina?" Luigi nearly gasped. "What brings you here? I thought the observatory only came by here every hundred years."

Rosalina simply shot him a small smile before responding.

"Indeed it does, but not only do I care for the observatory and the Lumas, but I watch over these Battle Stars as well, such as the one you now hold."

Rosalina went on to explain that as the observatory was traveling as usual few days before, she sensed great danger approaching the planet that involved the Grand Battle Star, the same star Toadsworth had briefed Luigi on. She returned there for a brief time only to discover that the same evil who had stripped the observatory of its own Power Stars and Grand Stars several months before had found the Grand Battle Star and found a way to use its power for his own evil ambitions.

"So that _is_ how Bowser became so powerful!" Luigi exclaimed, having suspected this all along due to Toadsworth's words.

"Yes. He kidnapped Mario and your friends," Rosalina continued. "I believe he wishes to use the power of the Grand Battle Star to destroy him."

"No…" Luigi replied, his face suddenly flooding with fear. "My brother… And the others…"

"Luigi, that evil fiend could threaten the entire world with the Grand Battle Star's power. You must rescue it before he discovers that."

Luigi then remembered the quest he had embarked on and snapped himself out of his trance.

"Then that's what I'll do. I was already briefed on the legend of the seven Battle Stars by one of the Toads and am searching for them now. I believe they can enable me to defeat Bowser."

"Yes, they will grant you strength and power beyond imagination and it is important that you collect them," Rosalina agreed. "those stars alone cannot defeat the Grand Battle Star's power."

Luigi's eyebrows rose at hearing that statement.

"But… Then what can?"

Rosalina smiled once more.

"Look deep inside your heart when you confront the beast who took your friends. Then you'll know. Take the Battle Stars with you, Luigi. Only their power and your courage can save everyone."

Luigi nodded with a smile and held up a confident fist.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone down!"

"May the power be with you."

Upon her last words, Rosalina slowly vanished into thin air.

Luigi merely stood there and gazed upon the star he held once more before leaving. He smiled once again and now knew he had an even bigger mission to accomplish than ever before. However, just as he was about to leave, Luigi spotted a piece of paper lying on the ground where Rosalina had been. He quickly picked it up and noticed it was scribbled with several pictures. Seven of them were shaped like stars. Next to them were what appeared to be different locations. It could be none other than a list revealing the locations of each Battle Star. Luigi looked it over carefully, knowing Rosalina had to have left it on purpose. One star was inside a deep canyon, another was deep in the forest, a third was on a high mountain, the fourth was on a distant island, the fifth lied deep in the sea, the sixth was buried in a moist swamp, and the final one hid beneath a sandy desert. Luigi, knowing now his quest had just become easier, stuck the list in his pocket once he finished reviewing it. He walked out of the cavern with a confident smile on his face, now in possession of one of the Battle Stars.


	6. Luigi's True Feelings

Chapter 6: Luigi's True Feelings

Once he stepped outside of the shrine, Luigi halted in his tracks once more. He had forgotten that this area was completely sealed off and that any possible path was blocked by trees or rocks. The rocks were much too large to be shattered by his hammer and obviously the tool wasn't made to take down trees. Not one to give in so easily, Luigi then quickly circled the entire clearing, hoping he'd at least find a gap in the rocks or trees that he'd fit through. Unfortunately, there were none that let the plumber pass, even with his thinness. Luigi had no choice but to frustratingly give up his attempts. And now, he couldn't believe what had happened. He traversed through what seemed like an impossible cave of mazes and paths and acquired one of the seven Battle Stars, but now he still couldn't succeed in rescuing Mario and the others.

With that, Luigi's anger grew until he grimaced and raised a fist into the air before the rock that sat nearest to him. Suddenly, the plumber's hand was surrounded in a bluish white glow and then expanded until it was twice its original size. Not noticing the transformation, Luigi launched his fist into the boulder, which had been taller than him, and shattered it to pieces. A path into the woods was revealed behind its remains. Within the next moment, Luigi's eyes had widened and his jaw dropped.

"Did…Did I just—?" he uttered aloud, unable to complete his sentence. "Whoa…"

Luigi's strength had never been this polished before. Not even Mario could crack a boulder of that size. And that meant there was only one possible explanation Luigi could think of. Had the Battle Star increased his power? If so, that would mean he _was_ the chosen master spoken of in the legend. Still, somehow, Luigi was unsure. It could be possible that the master was able to allow others to use the stars' power. What if that master was also searching for the stars and even already found one or more? Whatever the case, the star Luigi possessed had to have increased his strength and that meant the others would likely do the same.

"Wow… If one star could make me this strong…" Luigi continued moments later. "Then wielding all seven would be unbelievable!"

With that, an excited smile formed on the plumber's face as he quickly raced down the newly revealed path, which fortunately led him to the edge of the canyon moments later. However, Luigi was still unsure how to reach the other side without having to go through Alvaro Cave again. All he could do was simply follow the cliff in hopes he would find a way across. Luigi also decided to call his upgraded fist Super Punch, as it seemed that the plumber could now increase the strength of his punches whenever he desired. He knew that this move would prove useful against tougher enemies later on.

With these new thoughts in mind, Luigi continued to walk further down the edge of the canyon, but hadn't gone far when he spotted a small figure in the distance that appeared to be a Toad. Closer inspection revealed that it was the repairer Toad he'd met earlier. He was waving his arms in the air and standing in the middle of a rope bridge that was in mint condition. Luigi raced onto it immediately, wondering what the Toad's news could be.

"Hey, Luigi!" the Toad called out as Luigi approached. "I'm glad I found ya. With a little help from a couple buddies, I finished repairing both this bridge and the one spanning the river while you were gone."

"Really? Thanks a lot," Luigi replied, scratching the back of his head. "I needed that. I'd have gone crazy if I had to go back the way I came!"

"I bet. Oh, another thing, the mail Toad asked me to give this to ya since you weren't far away. It's a letter."

With that, the Toad handed Luigi a sealed envelope. After ripping it open, Luigi noticed it was from Daisy, which meant she must have reached Toad Town safely. He read it over carefully.

_Luigi,_

_Hey, I found out some juicy information for you! Meet me back at the castle and we'll talk it over. I've been keeping an eye on things around here for Peach, so don't worry about what's been going on while you've been gone. Believe me, I don't mess around. Well, I'll be seeing you soon!_

_Daisy_

Luigi then thanked the Toad and stuck the letter in his pocket alongside the list of Battle Star locations for safe keeping.

"Well, I guess I'll head back to town now," he continued. "Thanks again."

Luigi then waved good bye to the repairer Toad and headed back to the path past the area where he first rescued Toad and Toadette. He wondered what Daisy had to say to him and what she found out. Hopefully, it would lead him closer to his captured friends and brother as well as Bowser.

Along the way, Luigi decided to practice with his new Super Punch on the local enemies, which included many Goombas, giant yellow caterpillars known as Wigglers, Koopas, and even creatures he and Mario had met in outer space, such as the Mandibug, which was a giant purple insect that could only be defeated with a ground pound to its flat back. Although Super Punch proved to be much stronger than Luigi's normal punch, it still wasn't anything compared to the strength Bowser had demonstrated in town. Luigi knew it would grow more powerful as he collected more Battle Stars, and couldn't wait to see what stronger forms he could possibly use later on. Not only did his arms already feel a bit stronger when he punched a target or threw something, but Luigi felt physically stronger overall. He had even surpassed Mario's strength with the star power as proved by his shattering the boulder near the shrine.

Just as his practice had begun to wear him down, Luigi finally spotted Toad Town in the distance. He slowed his pace down as he continued on, deciding to take a short rest in town before he went after the next star. Luigi entered the bustling settlement minutes later, greeting the Toads as he headed straight for the castle. Toadsworth was standing at the main entrance and immediately inquired about Luigi's progress as the plumber approached him.

"Actually, I found a star!" Luigi revealed with a smile. "And believe it or not, its power increased my own!"

"Oh!" Toadsworth gasped, nearly dropping the mushroom-capped rod he always carried. "Then it's true! Master Luigi, you _are_ the chosen wielder of the Battle Stars! I knew it had to be you! No one I know, not even Master Mario, has both a mind and heart as strong and courageous as yours. Just keep it up and you'll be ready to fight Bowser in no time."

"Wait… Somehow, I'm still unsure if I'm meant to carry these stars," Luigi protested, his gaze straying to the ground. "Yes, the one I have made me stronger, but something tells me there are ways anyone can use their power. I don't know if somehow they might stop granting me strength in the future."

"Hmm… Good point," Toadsworth conceded, bringing his small hand to his chin. "But don't worry, I still have faith in you. As I said, no one I know has a mind and heart like yours. So keep searching. Even if you aren't the chosen one, we'd still seek out the one who is."

"Oh, indeed. You can count on that. I don't intend to give up at all, whether the stars ban me from their power or not."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now hurry inside, Princess Daisy awaits you."

Luigi nodded and raced into the castle, immediately seeking Daisy. He spotted her at the other end of the main hall by the window and approached her. She wasn't hesitant to turn around and greet Luigi.

"Hey, I got your letter," Luigi informed her. "You have something to tell me?"

"Yeah, I found out something big," Daisy replied. "Bowser Jr. was here earlier and he said something about Bowser using some massive power to destroy Mario and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. They're somehow preparing that power now as we speak!"

Luigi's eyes soon widened once he realized what this meant.

"Mama mia. Bowser's goal has always been taking over Mushroom Kingdom, but I think he's outdone himself this time."

Luigi then explained what he'd found out about Bowser's newfound power from Rosalina. Daisy couldn't believe her own ears when she'd heard what the Koopa king was capable of doing.

"Oh my," she commented. "Looks like you've got your hands full with this whole thing. And usually Mario's the one in these situations."

Luigi immediately froze where he stood upon hearing Daisy's words. Mario _was_ usually the one doing most of the adventuring and tracking down Bowser. Just thinking about it made Luigi's blood boil like crazy. He couldn't help but clench his fists together again and let thoughts of his brother's attention take over his mind. And now he realized that now he was finally getting his own, real chance to be a hero and defeat Bowser himself.

"You know what? You're right!" Luigi exclaimed angrily. "Mario _has_ done all this in the past and took all the credit for it too!"

"What? What do you mean?"

"You don't understand, Daisy. Practically all our lives, it's always been about Mario! It's Mario this, Mario that! Nobody ever gives me any attention!"

"Really? I could've sworn Mario once told me you rescued him from a mansion full of ghosts…"

Luigi then recalled the events at the haunted mansion where Mario had been trapped by white ghosts known as Boos.

"That was one time, Daisy. Even then I never got much attention and after that, it was back to Mario's shadow I went. It was like it never even happened!"

"What? So, all this time, you've actually been jealous of him, haven't you?"

"Yeah. Look, I may sound like I'm complaining, but I've reason to be. I've helped Mario a lot in the past, but did I ever get so much as a thank you? Nope. Like I said, he takes the credit for everything and gets all the attention. And to think, I actually thought he'd notice that I've been left out of the spotlight for so long despite that I always helped him when he needed it. Was I wrong. From the way he's been treating me, I ought to just leave him out there."

Luigi then turned his back and folded his arms. Daisy brought her hands to her hips.

"Oh come on, don't be like that," Daisy protested. "Just talk to him and tell him you've been feeling this way."

"Hmph. I'll talk to him alright. I won't leave him out there. I'd be sinking to his level if I did. Instead, I'll give him a piece of my mind."

Daisy heaved a sigh and shook her head.

"Well, alright. Or maybe Mario will realize all this on his own out there."

"Ha, that'll be the day."

Before the two could say anything more, the castle doors suddenly barged open. Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth were all hurrying across the room. Luigi guessed more trouble was brewing from the worried expressions on their faces, and wondered what was happening now. Daisy simply stood there as her brow rose.

"Master Luigi, Princess Daisy!" Toadsworth exclaimed as he came to a stop, followed by Toad and Toadette. "Thank goodness you two are still in here. Something terrible is going on in the forest!"

"What's happened?" Luigi wondered. He was beginning to worry himself.

"It's been taken over by ghosts!" Toad explained. "The repairer Toad you met at the canyon said he spotted some on his way back."

"Yeah, he seemed awfully scared," Toadette added. "Can't you do something, Luigi? Bowser must have sent those ghosts there."

Luigi thought for a moment before answering. Somehow, he didn't think Bowser was behind this one, at least not directly.

"I don't think Bowser is to blame this time," he hypothesized. "I have a hunch who's really behind this."

"Really? Who else could have done it?" Toad wondered.

"No time to explain," Luigi quickly replied. "I've got to run to my house for something."

Before anybody could say anything more to him, Luigi rushed outside and bolted for his and Mario's house on the outskirts of town. It was a small, cozy place to live, and provided a good view of the castle. That way, both brothers could see if anything was going on from right at home. Luigi threw open the front door when he arrived and halted for a few moments, hoping what he suspected about the ghosts in the forest was correct.

As he contemplated the matter, Luigi approached the closet in the bedroom and opened the door. There in the corner sat his Poltergust 3000, a vacuum for sucking up ghosts. Luigi had gotten it from an old friend of his, Professor Elvin Gadd, who had an interest in studying and capturing ghosts. Luigi's vacuum was only one of the many Poltergusts E. Gadd made. He grabbed it from its resting place, brushed the dust off of it and slung it on his back.

"It's time to put this thing to use again," Luigi confidently announced to no one in particular. He then ran back through the front door and left the house, wondering what the ghosts would be like this time around.

Back in the haunted mansion, they hadn't been too difficult to deal with, but now, there was no telling what Luigi would be up against. He could possibly even run into Professor E. Gadd himself during his mission and get more assistance from him. Whatever the case, Luigi would definitely not be as frightened as he was the first time. Ghosts were once his biggest fear, but now it was in the past. A much braver Luigi was targeting them this time around.

Luigi raced back through town upon leaving his home, and headed west to find the path leading to the newly haunted forest. Recalling that there was also a Battle Star hidden there, he figured the ghosts wouldn't have a clue of its existence. Just as Luigi was about to leave town, however, Daisy caught him before he could go any further. He turned around when he heard her call out his name. Daisy's eyebrow rose when she saw the Poltergust on Luigi's back.

"Is that what you had to go to your place for?" she observed.

"Yeah. I used this to suck up ghosts in the mansion Mario was imprisoned in," Luigi explained. "I did it once, I can do it again."

Daisy brought her hands to her hips. Luigi had to admit using a vacuum sounded ridiculous, but clever at the same time.

"Well, you certainly seem to know what you're doing," Daisy replied. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks."

After Daisy left for the castle again, Luigi continued on his way up towards the forest. He was still thinking about the conversation he'd had with her in the castle and wouldn't stand being left in Mario's shadow any longer. Once he found Mario, Luigi would keep his word and have that talk with him. Luigi knew he needed to have the attention he so long deserved and would get it no matter what once he took care of Bowser.

"It won't just be about you anymore, Mario…" Luigi mumbled to himself as he ventured farther and farther away from Toad Town.

While many thoughts plagued his mind, Luigi discovered the path to the forest was rather hilly and muddy. As he constantly vacuumed mud off his shoes, Luigi began to consider the idea of finding another, more sanitary path into the forest. Fortunately, however, the mud only extended so far down the path, and eventually disappeared all together, allowing Luigi to focus more on the local enemies than his feet. Though there were a lot of evil forest creatures roaming about, it was good practice for Luigi's Super Punch, and getting the hang of the move's power.

However, it wasn't long before Luigi ran into a few boulders blocking the rest of the path forward. He guessed they were planted there to keep any travelers out of the forest. Still, Luigi knew they wouldn't hold him back. With a few blows of Super Punch, he easily plowed right through them and was able to move on. Unfortunately, however, he'd thrown the third punch so hard, he toppled over and tumbled down the hill ahead. Luigi ran smack into a tree head first at the foot of the hill and fell over into unconsciousness. Almost immediately afterward, his Poltergust began to float away. Luigi only continued lay there, unaware that his only means of defeating ghosts had just been swiped by a ghost itself.


	7. A New Poltergust

Chapter 7: A New Poltergust

"Hey Luigi, are you alright?" a familiar voice spoke up. Luigi was soon awakened by it and slowly sat up. Professor E. Gadd was standing there beside him, looking down upon the still half-awake plumber. A vacuum fairly similar to Luigi's was strapped to his back, exactly like there was when Luigi first met him. Luigi shook his head and looked around, the throbbing pain from the blow from the tree plaguing his mind.

"Professor! Yeah, I'm fine, though my head still hurts…" he admitted.

"I bet! I saw you slam head first into that tree," E. Gadd replied. "That was one mighty blow."

With this, Luigi could not disagree. Before he could respond, however, he realized something didn't feel right. He then reached behind him, only to find that his Poltergust was gone. He gasped and frantically looked around the area, thinking it might have fallen off his back during his fall, but the vacuum was nowhere to be seen.

"Aw, no! My Poltergust is gone!" Luigi exclaimed moments later. "Those dirty ghosts… Now how am I going get rid of them?"

"Oh don't worry about that, my boy," E. Gadd replied. "These new ghosts are in a class of their own compared to what we saw a long time ago. They're much too strong for the Poltergust 3000 to handle. So I built an upgraded vacuum to get them instead. I call it the Poltergust 4000."

"Oh, is that the vacuum you have there on your back?"

E. Gadd nodded went on to explain that not only was the Poltergust 4000 much stronger, but it had a larger capacity and could create vortexes with the fire, water, and ice elements that the Poltergust 3000 was able to fire normally. Any ghost vacuumed up into the Poltergust 4000 was automatically compressed into a smaller form, making room for more than three times as many ghosts as the 3000 could hold. E. Gadd then assured that it's the only vacuum capable of defeating the ghosts in the forest and Luigi would need it if he's to best them and return the area to normal.

"I've actually been looking for you for the same reason you're going out to the forest," E. Gadd went on. "Those Boos were somehow freed from my lab and now they're hiding in another haunted mansion from what I've found out."

Luigi wasn't at all surprised to hear this since he grew to know Boos all too well thanks to his first encounter with them.

"Freed? So Bowser _did_ have something to do with this after all," he surmised.

"Who?"

Luigi again told the story of Bowser's attack and the kidnapping of Mario and the others. Not only was Luigi trying to save him again, but this time it was on a larger scale, and not just within a haunted mansion. He then revealed that Bowser must have been the one to free the Boos and infiltrate the lab, because he was the only one who would do such a thing and had reason for it. E. Gadd listened carefully and encouraged Luigi to go on, who then explained his Battle Star quest.

"Wow, you certainly have a lot on your shoulders!" E. Gadd commented. "Come to my lab with me for a few minutes. There's something else I'd like you to see."

Luigi agreed then followed the professor to his lab, a place he hadn't been to since the first haunted mansion. There, E. Gadd had the machine he used to turn ghosts into paintings and vice versa. It was also where he made the Poltergusts. When they finally arrived inside, Luigi's jaw nearly fell to the floor. The place was dark, much like the forest he was headed to, and completely out of power. A pile of vacuum parts were laying in the middle of the floor as well. All the machinery appeared as if it hadn't been touched in days. Luigi couldn't believe what he was looking at and nearly tripped over one of the broken vacuums as his eyes wandered around the lab. He then examined the vacuum rubble before turning to face the professor.

"Do you think Bowser did this as well?" E. Gadd inquired. "I spend a long time on those vacuums, and now I have no light in here to repair them with, which also means the Game Boy Horror is useless as well."

"No," Luigi replied, bringing a hand to his chin. "I don't think Bowser did this one. Someone else, most likely in league with Bowser, is probably responsible for this mess and the forest business." E. Gadd paused for a moment before saying anymore.

"What? You don't think…?" he began.

Luigi nodded with a confident smile.

"King Boo."

Later on, after discussing the matter more thoroughly and listening to how E. Gadd was able to save the Poltergust 4000 from destruction by removing it from the lab, Luigi began training a bit with his new vacuum before going out to the forest, as the professor explained it worked a little differently than the 3000. Its force was stronger and reduced a ghost's power much faster, which would likely take some getting used to. After E. Gadd applied the element medals Luigi found in the first haunted mansion, Luigi practiced with them and the vortexes the vacuum was capable of creating as well. They also proved to be powerful, and could target more than one ghost at once.

Once Luigi felt he had gotten the hang of things, E. Gadd put him to the test at the forest's entrance. When ghosts began appearing, Luigi switched the vacuum on, tightly gripping the vacuum's tube. Instead of fear plaguing his mind, for once, Luigi only saw courage, something that had never happened to him before. He smiled and aimed the vacuum's built-in flashlight at one of the ghosts, then sucked away at their might, causing them to grow weaker every second.

"Yeah!" Luigi happily exclaimed when he succeeded in vacuuming up the first pair of ghosts. "King Boo is in for a big surprise!"

"I couldn't agree more," E. Gadd replied. "Like I said the last time we met, you were born to suck up ghosts!"

"Thanks," Luigi said with a smile. "I'm going to go get started. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Alright, good luck," E. Gadd complimented. "And be careful!"

Luigi nodded and began his journey into the forest. As soon as he stepped foot on the path, however, he found himself surrounded by immediate darkness and wilted trees, though it was only early afternoon. Ghosts almost immediately began to appear as well, and the only light found in the area at all was the shine of Luigi's flashlight. It was so dark, in fact, that Luigi had to use the flashlight to see his way around in addition to stunning ghosts, which made it difficult when he switched the vacuum on and the flashlight off. Regardless, he still managed to get the first few and continue down the path.

Not much farther away, however, Luigi found himself before a fork in the path. More of the ghosts showed up, keeping him from choosing a path to take. Once he was through with them, however, small footsteps began echoing from ahead. Suddenly, Bowser Jr. appeared from the left fork, an eager grin on his face. He laughed at Luigi's presence in the forest and clenched his clawed hands together. Luigi then repeated this his own hands and gritted his teeth.

"Bowser Jr.! What do you want?" he demanded.

"Hee hee hee hee!" Bowser Jr. cackled. "I knew I'd find you alive! Just wait 'til my dad finds out what you've been up to! He's gonna be MAAAD."

"Yeah, what are you going to do about it?"

"I see you're attempting to defeat King Boo," Bowser Jr. observed. "I'll just whup you myself before you can even get a clue to his whereabouts! Hahaha!"

With that, Luigi allowed his hands to glow with star power once more and prepared to fight the younger Koopa. Bowser Jr. then curled himself into a ball and began rolling around at speeds Luigi had never seen him reach before. This meant Bowser must have given him power as well, but Luigi couldn't let this distract him when he was forced into a leap to avoid the rolling. He then figured the Grand Battle Star's power was capable of being shared.

Once Bowser Jr.'s rolling came to a halt, Luigi attempted to strike him with a Super Punch. However instead of getting hit, Bowser Jr. repeated Luigi's maneuver to evade it. He laughed confidently at the miss and stood there before him while Luigi grew even more desperate.

"Impressed with my new abilities?" Bowser Jr. wondered. "My dad always gets the best ideas!"

Luigi didn't reply. Instead, he continued to fight, his determination to defeat Bowser Jr. all too high.

Once Bowser Jr. resumed his rolling, Luigi contemplated a possible counterattack. He then remembered the ground pound move and jumped in the air to avoid getting hit by the rolling. Luigi then came down near Bowser Jr. with a bang, causing him to flip right onto his back. A smile forming on his face, Luigi landed a Super Punch squarely on the Koopa's chest, who then landed with a thump on the ground after being hit upwards.

"You're not the only one who's been learning new tricks," Luigi pointed out with confidence.

Bowser Jr. then scrambled to his feet, his childish and evil grin turning into an angry frown.

"Hey, two can play at that game!"

Luigi's eyebrows rose as the Koopa threw his right fist into the air above his head and punched the ground in front of him. It shook so hard, Luigi lost his balance and toppled over. He knew now how seriously he really needed to take Bowser Jr.'s new power and abilities. The star power within him was stronger than Luigi anticipated.

As the fight continued on, the two were basically fighting fire with fire. Both were striking the ground and causing one another other fall over. However, the only difference was Bowser Jr.'s rolling attack, which left Luigi at a disadvantage. Luigi himself, however, also had one advantage that he did not know about. That is, until he noticed Koopa shells lying around, probably from the Koopas that used to reside there. Smiling, Luigi quickly vaulted out of Bowser Jr's path and plucked a shell. He then held onto it until he could accurately aim it at the rolling Koopa in before him and then toss it. Bowser Jr. broke from his roll upon being struck and flipped onto his shell once more. Luigi then launched another Super Punch and this time bashed the Koopa into a tree. Bowser Jr. merely sat there with a sly grin on his face.

"Hehe. You've gotten tougher than I expected! But you're still no match for my dad's star power! Hee hee hee hee!"

With that, he scrambled to his feet and picked up his pace. He now rolled even faster than before, and his ground punches grew more frequent. Luigi didn't let that stop him, however. He decided the only thing to do was to speed up as well.

However, the green-clad plumber soon found it wasn't as easy keeping a fast pace as he expected. It didn't take long for him to begin feeling exhausted from moving so quickly, but he knew giving up was not an option. Though he struggled to do so, Luigi continued to match Bowser Jr.'s new speed, hoping the Koopa would soon tire out as well. Luckily for Luigi, he managed to nail him again with a shell once more and launch another Super Punch. The Koopa was once again slammed into a tree and slid down the trunk. However this time, he wasn't grinning. Bowser Jr. just sat there in the dull feeling of defeat and exhaustion.

"Waah! You're so mean! Just wait until we meet again! I'll heartily make you regret this!"

The Koopa then scrambled to his feet and disappeared down the path Luigi had come through.

"Ha, I would love to see him try," Luigi muttered to himself with a laugh. He then readied the Poltergust 4000 and decided to take the same path Bowser Jr. first appeared on, eager as ever to seek out King Boo and the rest of his ghost friends. Luigi fearlessly disappeared into the growing darkness on the path ahead, only to be seen by the light of his flashlight. Little did he know, however, that other business besides King Boo's was in motion. He'd completely forgotten to consider Bowser having a reason for releasing King Boo from his vacuum prison, as the only thing on his mind at the moment was standing up to the relentless king of the Boos without fear…and finding the next Battle Star.


	8. Ghostly Business

Chapter 8: Ghostly Business

Darkness began to creep over Bowser's fortress as dusk was approaching. There weren't very many windows in the place, so light faded quickly when the sun set. It had been a long day for both Luigi and his kidnapped friends, whom were still awaiting him inside the fortress. Mario slumped over inside his cell, struggling every now and then to break free of his ropes. He still continued to worry about Luigi's safety as well as the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom, hoping that his brother would find or already found a way to rescue them.

Mario's thoughts were soon interrupted, however, by the stomping of giant feet in the next room. Bowser burst through the doors moments later, a wide, evil grin upon his face. He laughed malevolently as he peered down upon his helpless nemesis, coming to a halt in front of the cell. Mario quickly sprang up at the sight of the giant Koopa, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. Peach and Yoshi turned their attention to Bowser as well, the fear in their eyes very apparent.

"Your time is soon to be up, Mario!" Bowser announced deviously. "After tonight, you'll have but one more day before I finally have Peach all to myself! Bwahahahaha!"

The anger in Mario's mind had by now reached its boiling point. He tugged at his ropes, but still could not free himself.

"You won't get away with this!" Mario retorted in his struggle. "Luigi is somewhere out there looking for us right now! I can feel it!"

Bowser simply cackled again.

"Oh really? If your little cowardly brother is out there, I'm sure King Boo will take care of him!"

The name he had just heard forced Mario to freeze where he sat. He never forgot Luigi's fear of ghosts, and he knew what this meant if his brother was still frightened.

"What? NO!" Mario shot back.

"Yes! He won't stand a _ghost _of a chance!" Bowser corrected, chuckling at his own joke. "So, to take your mind off him, let me present you and Yoshi with a little surprise. Hehehe."

Yoshi began to shudder upon the Koopa king's words. Soon enough, Kamek appeared from behind Bowser, armed with his magic staff. He cackled like a witch in front of the trembling Yoshi.

"Hello, Yoshi!" Kamek greeted. "I'm sure you remember me!"

"Will you have the honors?" Bowser offered.

Kamek smiled deviously.

"I'd be delighted!"

And with that, Kamek waved his staff and aimed the fired beam directly at Yoshi. Upon being hit, the green dinosaur was instantly transformed into a wooden statue of himself. Peach gasped, cupping her mouth with her hands. Mario glared at Kamek, now angrier than ever.

"After tomorrow, when your time has come and Bowser's master plan is ready, Mario, Yoshi will burn in a nice bonfire! Hee hee hee!" Kamek exclaimed. It was then and there Mario's angry face faded into an expression of fear. Now he had both his brother and his oldest friend to worry about. Bowser and Kamek then turned to leave the room, cackling nonstop.

"Luigi…please get here in time!" Mario pleaded.

Peach gazed at the wooden Yoshi and then back at Mario.

"But what about King Boo?" she wondered. "Poor Luigi…he's always feared ghosts."

"Yeah. But that didn't stop him from defeating each and every one of them in that haunted mansion from a long time ago, did it?" Mario pointed out, remembering the mansion incident again. "We just need to believe in him. Luigi has done it once… And he can do it again."

Mario didn't know how correct he was. Deep inside the dark forest, Luigi was hard at work, vacuuming up ghost after ghost with the Poltergust 4000. However, he had by now traveled so far inside that he was no longer sure how to leave, thanks to the never-ending darkness. All he could do was continue down the path he was following. Still, Luigi's thoughts were concentrated on finding King Boo and forgetting what Bowser Jr. had said before he disappeared.

Not much more time had passed, however, when Luigi spotted a fairly large clearing in the path ahead of him. Right in the middle of the clearing, a group of fire ghosts floated about. Nearby was a small puddle of water, probably containing water elemental ghosts. Luigi readied the Poltergust 4000 and tip toed over to the puddle, slowly turning on the vacuum as he went. Just as soon as he vacuumed up one elemental ghost, however, the fire ghosts spotted him and charged forward.

Luigi was barely given enough time to switch to his flashlight and dash out of the way. Almost immediately, he conjured a water vortex from the vacuum's mouth and aimed it at the ghosts. It took a bit of time and effort to catch them within the vortex's range, proving that these ghosts were indeed stronger than their predecessors from the old mansion, but the green-clad hero eventually prevailed. Once they were weakened enough, Luigi nearly effortlessly vacuumed them all up one by one, despite the darkness rendering it more difficult to see them.

After the last ghost was inside the Poltergust, Luigi pressed on through the darkness, now thinking about how nice it would be to see light again. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he came upon another break in the trees. Straight ahead was another large mansion. It was very much unlike the last one Luigi had explored, however. Parts of it had been torn to the ground, and the roof was completely absent. A gigantic hole in the left wall of the first floor was plainly visible with the flashlight, and a number of windows were cracked or shattered. Smaller holes could be seen in the upper walls, and half the second floor was missing. Luigi scratched the back of his head in confusion as he stared at the mansion before him.

"Mama mia…" he uttered, walking into the front yard. "How odd. The professor never said the mansion was in ruins."

Deciding that E. Gadd must have had no knowledge of the mansion's physical state, Luigi approached the front of the house. He shined the flashlight upon the front door, only to find it had been blocked off by pieces of wall from the second floor. Though reluctant to do so, Luigi then went over to the hole in the left wall and stepped through it.

The inside of the mansion was dark and dimly lit by candles in the room, which appeared to be a kitchen from the counters, cabinets, and half a stove and oven sitting within them. The pieces of wall from the hole were lying nearby, and the entire room looked as if no one had been there for years. Cobwebs and dust filled the furniture while the cupboards were dented and cracked. The sink was right next to the hole in the wall and was leaking heavily from its busted and bent pipes. The refrigerator near the stove had a partially broken door and was continuously conjuring chilly air. Luigi quietly moved around the room, keeping an eye out for anymore ghosts as he explored. However, before he could take a few steps, the refridgerator's chilly air reached him.

"Wow, is-s it c-c-cold in here!" Luigi stuttered through chattering teeth.

Suddenly, a blue ice ghost popped out of nowhere, startling the plumber. Luigi quickly turned on the Poltergust and aimed it at the candles. Another fire elemental ghost was gradually sucked into the vacuum. Before he could finish, however, another ice ghost appeared behind Luigi. He quickly side-stepped to face both ghosts and conjured a fire vortex. It weakened both ghosts slowly, but at the same time. Luigi then vacuumed them up once they were weak enough, just as he had done with the fire ghosts in the forest clearing.

Upon getting the last ghost, Luigi switched the vacuum off and took a brief rest before continuing. He was beginning to find that getting rid of these ghosts was a tougher task to tackle than the set King Boo had released in the old mansion. However, Luigi knew he couldn't let that hinder him, so he hurried through the door ahead minutes later. Inside was what appeared to be the dining room, as it contained a long table and several chairs, and not surprisingly enough, it was in better shape than the kitchen was with the exception of the wall to Luigi's right. Several huge cracks were visible on it, and bent paintings lay on the floor. Ignoring them, Luigi explored the room, cautiously keeping watch for more ghosts.

It wasn't long before Luigi accidentally bumped one of the dining chairs and caused ghosts to reveal themselves. He readied the Poltergust yet again and gradually vacuumed them all up one by one, wondering now if King Boo possibly lurked somewhere in the mansion. Once the room was cleared of the spirits, Luigi went through the next door, which was across the room from the door he had previously entered.

Luigi soon found himself standing in a long hallway leading to the other side of the mansion. Halfway down was another hall crisscrossing with the first one. Luigi then quietly approached the intersection cautiously took a peek around the nearby corner, and noticed a hole in the wall next to one of the doors. It revealed a staircase behind the door that led to the second floor. Luigi approached the door and tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

Figuring there must be a key for it hidden somewhere in the house, Luigi immediately began searching the other rooms on the first floor, including the library, conservatory, living room, and the room by the front door. He cleansed them of the ghosts residing inside them, but found no key. Luigi even searched the bathroom, knowing that something such as a key could be hidden practically anywhere. After awhile, Luigi had narrowed the key's possible locations down to one more room: the gym, which turned out to be on the opposite side of the mansion from where he first entered.

"If that key isn't in here, then I missed something," Luigi muttered to himself as he entered the room.

The gym had all the usual equipment one would find in it. A treadmill sat against the wall, barbells were on the floor alongside some mats, and punching bags hung from the ceiling. In addition to bikes and other equipment, there were also pull up bars, something the gym from the old mansion hadn't had. As he explored the room, Luigi took an occasional swap at a punching bag for extra practice. Just as he passed by an open window at the east end of the room, however, a ghost quietly appeared beside him. Suddenly, it raised its arms and shoved Luigi out of the window.

"Waaah!" Luigi yelped as he found himself landing in a small garbage dumpster. The impact of the fall caused the dumpster to tumble over to the ground, pouring garbage all over Luigi. He slowly rose his feet while a stinging pain formed in his side from hitting the ground.

"Ugh! This is just gross!" Luigi exclaimed. He started brushing garbage off of his clothes. Banana peels, chicken bones, dirty napkins, cans, food, bags, and who knows what else had fallen all over him. Just as Luigi was about to pursue the ghost that shoved him, however, he noticed a glimmer of light coming out of an open can. He immediately investigated and found it was the key he had been looking for.

"Now why in the world would someone throw a house key in the garbage?" Luigi wondered, scratching the top of his head as he plucked the key from its hiding place. Deciding not to worry about it, he quickly climbed back through the window to find the ghost that had quite literally thrown him away. It appeared almost instantly after Luigi set foot in the room, along with some friends.

"Nice try, but smelling like garbage won't hold me back!" Luigi exclaimed as he began vacuuming up the one ghost after another. By now he realized that the trash from outside had left a foul-smelling odor on him, but was not aware that he'd be heading back to Toad Town that way. Once the room was free of ghosts, Luigi returned to the hallway to try the key on the locked door.

After finding that the key fit perfectly, Luigi scrambled up the stairs as quickly as possible, eager find out if King Boo was hiding in the mansion. Many of the walls were almost completely gone, making travel around the second floor very easy. A lone door stood at the back of the house, with half destroyed walls surrounding it. The floors were full of puddles along the way, probably from rain. Luigi quickly scavenged the rooms before heading in that direction and vacuumed up any ghosts remaining in the house, one of which contained water ghosts in addition to normal ones. Fortunately for Luigi, however, a bucket of ice sat on an end table in the corner of the room.

Luigi slowly approached the door of the final room and entered once he was through with the previous. Inside was a more decorative room than some of the others Luigi had visited. A jeweled chandelier hung on the ceiling while silver framed paintings lined the wall. A table sat on the opposite side of the room and was full of jewelry and other riches. On the floor was an ornate, though slightly tattered, rug.

"Well, well, well. Looks like my order to throw you in the rubbish didn't teach you a lesson, Luigi," a voice behind the plumber opined.

Luigi turned around to find a Boo blocking the door, which now had spiky bars barricading it.

"So you're the one behind the garbage act!" Luigi exclaimed. "Falling in a dumpster is nothing!"

"Oh really?" the Boo retorted. "Very well. King Boo didn't describe you as so determined. I'll have to deal with you myself!"

Luigi then shot a glare at the ghost as he gripped the Poltergust 4000 in preparation to vacuum it up.

"I don't think so!" He exclaimed. Luigi then switched the vacuum on and sucked away.

"Eeeep! That vacuum is stronger than the one I had stolen from you!" the Boo yelped.

Luigi smiled confidently as the Boo's energy gradually depleted. However, this Boo had so much energy that it escaped the vacuum before Luigi could completely finish it off. He suddenly began to flee the house.

"You won't get me that easily!" the Boo shouted as he disappeared into the darkness. Luigi rolled his eyes and ignored the ghost. Suddenly, a small silver pouch shimmered into existence before his very eyes and floated a few inches above the floor. Similar shimmers of light appeared in other parts of the forest immediately after. Luigi's eyebrows rose as he eyed the pouch before him.

"Is this some sort of power up?" he wondered, approaching it. Both Mario and Luigi used power ups scattered across Mushroom Kingdom and the universe many times in the past during their adventures. They had come to a wide variety of them as a result and gained many different abilities from them. This silver floating pouch was either a new one or some sort of trick from King Boo. Having no other ideas on how to progress, Luigi took the risk and touched the pouch.

Suddenly, before his very eyes, the pouch burst open and sprayed him with a white powder. Upon contact, the powder began to force Luigi into a transformation. His whole body turned a ghostly transparent color. Luigi's legs became a wavy tail while his new form hovered above the floor. He also became much lighter, which meant the Poltergust would likely become more difficult to merely carry, let alone use. Luigi gazed upon himself in shock and relief. He had transformed into a ghost version of himself, which meant that the silver pouch was indeed a new power up.

"Ah, I get it now. I'll have to fight ghost with ghost!" Luigi realized, a grin forming on his face. "Now let's see… Oh, I can see through this darkness as if it were daylight. Excellent. I think I can fly through walls and become invisible for a short time too. And…wait, what's this?"

As Luigi focused his gaze upon the dark forest, his blue irises became a bright green for a short time. Without warning, dozens of ghosts he hadn't even seen with regular ghost vision appeared.

"I can see other hidden ghosts too! It's like an internal ghost radar! Not even the Boo Mushroom let Mario or I do this!" Luigi blurted happily, remembering one of the power ups the brothers encountered in space. "I think it's high time I had a little fun on this adventure for once!"

With that, Luigi flew above the house and soared back down to the forest path. After activating the ghost radar once more, Luigi cloaked himself from sight and switched the Poltergust on. It didn't take long for the panicking ghosts to fall victim to the vacuum's power. As he vacuumed up ghost after ghost faster than ever before, Luigi continued to make use of his radar in order to find King Boo. He was also cautious of his surroundings. If he were to be hit by an enemy, Luigi would lose his new abilities until he found another power up. It was merely the way these special items functioned and Luigi believed that no useful items and abilities were without limits. Minutes later, after having captured at least a dozen more ghosts, Luigi finally made out the forms of two Boos. One of them was slightly larger than the other and appeared to have a crown on its head.

"Bingo," Luigi mumbled to himself. He then pursued the ghosts' location.

"Yahoo!" the ghost plumber exclaimed as he zoomed past the trees. "I could get used to this."

Luigi hid himself behind a bush once he arrived at the clearing in which King Boo and his Boo minion were floating. The two were deep in conversation. Being able to overhear some of it, Luigi hovered quietly and listened to the ghosts' every word. The Boo minion appeared to look troubled while King Boo had a grin on his ghostly face, both of them unaware of Luigi's presence nearby.

"Interesting how the garbage trick failed to stop him," King Boo inferred.

"Yeah. He's changed more than we thought," the Boo minion replied. "And he's armed with another one of E. Gadd's retched vacuums!"

"What?" King Boo exclaimed. "Impossible! We destroyed all of them!"

"W-well, apparently we missed one. And it's a deal stronger than those other vacuums we smashed. I only narrowly escaped being sucked up!"

"Hm… This is getting more difficult than I thought it would."

"Oh, a-and I recently noticed that our minions have begun disappearing at an alarming rate!"

"What?" King Boo exclaimed. "How can this be? No human can move that fast, not even Luigi!"

"I can in this form," a voice behind the two ghosts replied. King Boo and his minion turned around to see Luigi, still in ghost form, his arms folded and a confident grin on his face. King Boo gasped when he saw Luigi's new appearance.

"You!" he exclaimed. "You're—! But how—?"

"Oh, so you noticed I've become a ghost. This new form is coming quite in handy, I must say."

"Ha. Even if you did find some way to obtain ghost powers, I can still take you with the power given to me by King Bowser!" King Boo retorted.

"We'll just see about that!"

With that, he readied the Poltergust 4000 and aimed it at King Boo. Before Luigi could drain a morsel of energy from him, however, King Boo vanished into thin air. Luigi frantically looked around the area, but the evil ghost was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take long for him to remember he could use his ghost radar to seek him out and soon spotted King Boo hovering in front of a nearby tree. Luigi attempted to catch him in the vacuum's powerful vortex again, but due to his tiny weight, he couldn't manipulate the vacuum very quickly. Instead, King Boo lunged for him before the plumber could even aim and knocked him to the ground. Luigi instantly returned to his human form just as he surmised before.

"Aw terrific…" he mumbled as he stood up. The Boo minion simply cackled his ghostly cackle.

"Hahaha! You'll have to do better than that!"

"So I noticed," Luigi replied. "Oh, by the way, I'm afraid you won't be needed here."

With that, he quickly aimed the vacuum at the Boo minion and drained his remaining energy. In just seconds, the ghost was nothing more than vacuum contents. King Boo suddenly reappeared behind Luigi, his eyes brooding with anger.

"How dare you suck up my friend!" he exclaimed.

Luigi whirled around and aimed the vacuum again. Being quicker with it in his normal human form, he nearly immediately enveloped the ghost in the Poltergust's vortex. King Boo proved to be a lot more powerful than the other ghosts, much to Luigi's irritation. The pull of the vacuum's vortex was only barely strong enough to hold him for a few seconds at the most. As a result, King Boo escaped easily and disappeared once again.

Luigi immediately scrutinized the area for another floating silver pouch. Moments later, he caught wind of a faint light bursting from the bark of a nearby tree. He quickly bolted up to it and launched a Super Punch right through the bark, revealing exactly what he had been looking for. Without hesitation, Luigi returned to his ghost form once more.

"So that's how he did it…" King Boo muttered angrily. "I should've known it was another one of those annoying power ups the Mario brothers rely on! Oh well, there may be no way I can prevent Luigi from using that ghost powder, but I still have King Bowser's new power!"

While using the ghost radar again, Luigi switched the vacuum on before aiming this time so he'd earn himself a head start in draining more of King Boo's energy. It didn't take long for Luigi to once again find him in front of a tree. The ghost plumber slowly floated towards him so his aim remained accurate. Once he approached King Boo, he successfully caught him in the vacuum's vortex again, but this time managed to keep him in it longer this time by pinning him against the tree. Luigi decided that the trees were the key to draining the fearsome ghost's energy quickly, even while Luigi was in the form of a ghost.

The ghostly battle went on as the two floated around the forest clearing. Every now and then, King Boo forced Luigi back into his normal form, however Luigi would immediately grab another pouch of ghost powder after, unless he had a chance to drain more of King Boo's energy without transforming. Sometime later, King Boo paused before Luigi and began panting, indicating that he could soon fall to defeat.

"If I go on like this, I'm going to become vacuum contents!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, he lunged for Luigi again. This time, he not only forced the plumber to return to human form once more, but also knocked the Poltergust 4000 out of Luigi's hands, and then launched it into a tree behind him. Luigi gasped and flew up to retrieve the vacuum, but it was lodged in the tree branch. King Boo was right behind him and attempted to tackle Luigi to the ground. The plumber quickly dashed out of the way, barely avoiding the maneuver. However, before he could move again, Luigi found himself with a taste of his own medicine: cornered at a tree. King Boo cackled malevolently in front of him and was ready to strike again. Luigi frantically searched for a way out of this and soon remembered he could turn visible as well. After he vanished, King Boo rammed himself into a tree instead of his intended target and fell dazed. Luigi quickly scrambled for the Poltergust and shook the branch as hard as he could until it finally fell into the plumber's hands once more. After slinging it onto his back again, Luigi quickly hit the switch and aimed for King Boo. King Boo gasped as he finally shook himself free of his trance.

"You're done!" Luigi exclaimed and vacuumed away.

"NOOOO! THIS ISN'T THE END, LUIGI! MARK MY WORDS, I'LL BE BAAA—!"

Before he could finish his sentence, King Boo disappeared inside the Poltergust.

Luigi hovered there for a few seconds afterward, panting from exhaustion from battling with his now defeated nemesis. Just as he was about to see if light would return him to normal, he noticed the forest had begun to grow significantly lighter. Small clouds floated above the night sky, indicating that the sun had set and the overcast had blotted out the moon. The only way he could change back now was by somehow getting hit by an enemy. Unfortunately, the ghost radar revealed no ghosts and the forest itself had become quiet. The moonlight must have vanquished the ghosts while the forest's original inhabitants had either been defeated or scared off. And that only meant one thing.

"Mama mia…" Luigi said to himself. "Looks like light doesn't affect this power up. Oh well. Maybe there's some other way besides letting something attack me."

Before he could make another move, however, Luigi spotted an opening in the underbrush nearby that hadn't been there before King Boo was defeated. He curiously floated through it, and found himself in another small cave, smaller than the one he had encountered after leaving Alvaro Cave. Within seconds, Luigi caught a glimpse of light at the other end of the chamber. He approached it slowly, and found it was the second Battle Star sitting atop a small pedestal. This star was colored a dark, but rather bright blue. Luigi took it from its small pedestal and wondered if King Boo, as well as Bowser, knew of the stars or the legend behind them. With a brave smile on his face, the plumber left the cave with two stars in his possession. Only five more remained.

Author's Note: Ah, we've seen our first Super Luigi power up! The Ghost Powder. As you've read, it let's Luigi transform into a ghost version of himself. I got the idea from the Boo Mushroom in the Super Mario Galaxy games. There will be several more power ups appearing later in this tale as well, including two more brand new ones! Stay tuned, everyone!


	9. The Princess Mystery

Chapter 9: The Princess Mystery

Upon exiting the cave, Luigi flew up above the trees into the night time air, already able to spot Toad Town in the distance from high in the sky. Glad he was able to get out of the forest with no trouble, he slowly made his descent as he drew closer to town. As he traveled, Luigi began contemplating several matters, such as which Battle Star to go after next, whether Daisy had anything new to tell him, or if Professor E. Gadd had restored power to his lab. All Luigi had to go on at the moment, however, was the list Rosalina had left him. According to it, he would have to travel under water, across the sea, over mountains, through a desert, and possibly much more. Still, the plumber would do whatever he had to in order to defeat Bowser and finally earn his place in the spotlight alongside Mario.

However, just as Luigi was about to descend to ground level, he spotted E. Gadd standing at the edge of the forest closest to town. However, upon laying eyes on Luigi's ghostly form, his jaw dropped and he froze where he stood.

"GADZOOKS! Luigi, what in the _world_ happened to you?" the professor exclaimed, nearly trembling.

Luigi soon came to a halt and set the Poltergust 4000 on the ground beside him, only now realizing that being a ghost could cause others to get rather unpleasant ideas.

"Whoa now, calm down!" Luigi replied, raising his hands before him. "I'm not dead or anything, don't worry. It's a new power up I found that enables me to transform into a ghost. Mario and I find and use them all the time. Only thing is, I can't return to my normal form right now."

"Ah, I see," E. Gadd commented, sighing with relief. "I thought for a moment those ghosts had actually managed to best you! Thank goodness it was only a simple transformation instead. Anyway, it looks like you got everything under control."

"Yep, the forest is back to normal. And I have a full vacuum for you on top of that."

"Oh? Great job! Luigi, I honestly believe you're the greatest ghost hunter in Mushroom Kingdom history! Unfortunately, I haven't yet fixed up my lab. Still, I need you to guard that Poltergust anyway. I don't want to take any chances of Bowser finding it and setting the ghosts free again."

"Heh, I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm the best, but thanks. And good idea. I'd better be off then, if I'm going to hide the vacuum and return to normal."

With that, Luigi waved good bye and continued on to Toad Town, knowing he would have to be careful when returning to his house this time, or else he'd be giving the Toads an unwanted scare. Still, going home had managed to give him another idea. Perhaps one of the Super Mushrooms Mario had stashed away sometime before would negate the effects of the Ghost Powder and return Luigi to his normal form. Of course, there was only one way to find out.

Once Luigi approached the outskirts of town, he shielded himself using the buildings so as not to be seen and headed towards his house in the southwest corner. Once the house came into view, however, footsteps echoed behind the ghostly plumber. Luigi turned around to find Toad pacing back and forth nearby, seemingly awaiting someone. He attempted to get to the front door undetected, but before Luigi could fly an inch further, Toad let out an ear-scorching scream.

"EGAAAH! LUIGI, YOU'RE A GHOST!"

"Shhhh! Quiet, Toad!" Luigi nervously protested, waving his hands frantically. "Before I end up making the whole town go crazy!"

With that, Toad's screaming turned into panting.

"Well, what on earth are you trying to do? Give someone a heart attack?" he replied between breaths.

"No, listen. Awhile back, Mario stashed some extra Super Mushrooms in our house somewhere in case they'd be needed right away. I want to see if they can help me right now."

Luigi then explained the Ghost Powder power up and how he wasn't sure what else would return him to his normal form besides allowing an enemy to strike him, since the power up could be used under light.

"Oh, I see. Hurry up, then, because I've been waiting to talk to you and it's urgent!"

Luigi nodded and quickly disappeared through the wall of his house before anyone else could spot him.

Inside, the house was darker than the night sky since no one had been there in awhile. Due to his heightened eyesight in the dark as a ghost, Luigi found the light switch in the bedroom easily and turned it on. What Luigi wasn't sure of was where Mario hid the Super Mushrooms. He recalled his brother telling him once, but unfortunately, Luigi had long forgotten Mario's exact words. He then decided to hide the Poltergust 4000 in a safe place while he refreshed his memory.

"Where, oh where did he say he put them?" Luigi mumbled to himself frustratingly. He opened the nearby closet after setting the vacuum on the floor and then produced a small key. After fitting it into a keyhole on the back wall, Luigi opened a secret compartment just the right size for the Poltergust and set it inside. It was then that the location of the Super Mushrooms returned to his mind. They were stored in another secret compartment hidden behind a picture on the wall between the two twin-sized beds. The picture depicted Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi out on a beach with the ocean waves roaring behind them. Luigi quickly locked the closet compartment, closed the door, and rushed over to the picture. He then took it down from the wall and threw open the little door that was revealed. Since it was in such an unpredictable place, it did not need a key. Just as Luigi guess, inside was the stash of Super Mushrooms.

"Yes! Thank you, Mario!" Luigi happily blurted as he plucked a few from their hiding place.

After tossing two into a pocket, Luigi gobbled down a third and hoped for the best. Within moments, he was standing on the floor in his normal form once again.

"It worked! Excellent!" Luigi opined, feeling better now that he knew a safer alternative to negating power up effects than letting enemies attack him.

Before returning the picture to its place on the wall, Luigi picked it up and gazed upon it, thinking once again about his captured brother and friends.

"Don't worry, guys…" he uttered courageously. "I don't care how strong Bowser has become. I'll bring him to his knees and save you all. I promise…"

After gazing upon the picture for a few more moments, Luigi hung it back onto the wall and departed the house. Once he was outside, Luigi made no hesitation to return to Toad, who still awaited him on the road nearby.

"Luigi! I was hoping you—PEEEUUU!" Toad exclaimed, putting his hands over his little face. "Where have you _been?_ You smell like rotten food!"

Luigi froze before he could answer. He had forgotten he still smelled of garbage from the incident in the mansion and must not have had a scent as a ghost.

"I, uh… Sorry," Luigi stammered, going pink in the cheeks. "Let's just say I got knocked into something smelly."

"Well, whatever, you've got to get rid of that odor, please! Anyway, we've got to talk. Something bad has happened at the castle again!"

"What? What happened?"

"Bowser Jr. broke in and took Princess Daisy!"

"He did wh—oh no…" Luigi opined, slapping his face with his hand. "I should've known he would pull a stunt like this…"

"What do you mean?"

Luigi then told Toad of his encounter with Bowser Jr. in the forest and how he wanted to make Luigi regret defeating him. He assumed Bowser Jr. was probably going to challenge him again later, not target Daisy. Now, however, it occurred to Luigi that Bowser Jr. knew Daisy was aiding the desperate plumber in his quest. It was only logical that the Koopa would want to keep Luigi from finding out anything that would lead him to Bowser.

"This doesn't sound good at all," Toad commented once Luigi finished. "Toadsworth can give you more details. You've got to go see him and get Daisy back! It's bad enough that Bowser already has Mario and the others!"

"I couldn't agree more. Leave it to me."

With that, Luigi headed off towards the castle, wishing there was some way he could hide the odor on his body at the same time. Now he'd likely trail it through the whole town just to find Daisy's whereabouts, plus the nasty odor would be exposed inside the castle. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have to go into the castle at all, if he planned this right.

Luigi approached the castle minutes later and peered through a window near the front door. He spotted Toadsworth and Toadette inside half way down the main hall and then tapped on the window to get their attention and motioned them to come outside. Both of them appeared at the front door within seconds, glad as ever to see the plumber was alright.

"Sorry, I don't think I should go in the castle right now," Luigi apologized. Toadsworth's eyes suddenly widened as he approached Luigi.

"I think I just discovered why," he replied with a grimace. "Where've you been, in the rubbish? You smell awful!"

"Well…yes," Luigi replied, his cheeks turning pink again. "But there's no time to explain. Toad told me what happened to Daisy and I need to know more."

"Ah right. Bowser Jr. stormed into the castle unexpectedly and took Daisy with him," Toadsworth explained. "Boy, was she angry."

"And she tried to fight back," Toadette added. "A tough girl she is. I wanted to help her, but that meanie got the best of both of us."

"And now we have to repair the back door," Toadsworth finished with a frustrated sigh. "Luckily for us, Toadette and I caught a glimpse of Bowser Jr. heading up north towards Mount Shroom. You must follow him there."

"If that's the case, then that's where I'll go," Luigi promised.

He then bid the two good bye and rushed off.

The northern path leading outside of Toad Town, which partially ran behind the castle, turned out to be drier than the western paths, much to Luigi's pleasure. The chilly night time air began to get to him as he walked on, forcing him to wrap his arms around his torso. The clouds covering the sky began to clear up as well, revealing the full moon overhead. Still, Luigi walked on, hoping that wherever Daisy was on Mount Shroom, she was alright. He was also quite curious about what Bowser Jr. was up to there.

Sometime later, Luigi finally approached the foothills around Mount Shroom. It was the highest mountain in the Mushroom Kingdom, and since Luigi's list specified that a Battle Star was located on a mountain, it was a very fitting place for one to be housed. Before he could contemplate much longer, however, a familiar female voice spoke up behind him.

"Oh, Luigi! I'm glad I found you!"

Luigi turned around to find Peach sitting atop a nearby rock.

"Peach? But how—? Where—?" he stammered.

This was very odd. How could she have escaped Bowser so easily?

"Oh, Mario and I escaped from Bowser hours ago," Peach explained. "He probably noticed by now that we're gone though, so I'm sure his goons are looking for us again."

"Hmm… Then where is Mario?"

Luigi didn't need an answer to his question. He already felt something here was not right.

"He's been in Toad Town this whole time waiting for you," Peach replied with a smile. "You ought to head back and see what he wants."

"I was just there and didn't see him. If Mario was in town, I would have found him," Luigi assured. "He wouldn't have left, because I know my brother isn't that impatient."

Although he hadn't said so, Luigi's real reason for believing Mario was not in Toad Town was that if he had been, the Toads would have known it and told him. Somehow, this began to sound like a lie.

"Hm. I'm not sure where he is then. See you later!"

Luigi eyed Peach as she skipped down the path in the direction he'd come from. She didn't seem to be herself at all. Normally during times like this, she would be frightened and remain in the castle, not joyfully skipping about. What's more, Peach would never deliberately lie. It was mainly due to this that Luigi began to suspect something suspicious was going on. And then it occurred to him that if Bowser was up to no good, Mario wouldn't be in town either. He'd be searching for answers much like Luigi was. This train of thought soon led Luigi to recall something Yoshi once told the two brothers. Kamek was known to be dishonest and tricky.

Mount Shroom towered higher than ever when Luigi finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. Steep paths and cliffs lined the edges of the mountain, and thin clouds hovered around the peak. Trees covered most of the foot while rocky ridges and rock formations were on higher elevations. As Luigi began climbing further, the conversation with "Peach" and Daisy's whereabouts still clouded his mind. Whether or not Kamek had something to do with "Peach's" lying was still a mystery, but wherever Daisy and the third Battle Star were, Luigi knew he would have to search every nook and cranny of Mount Shroom in order to find them or even figure out what was truly going on.

"Something funny is going on here," Luigi said to himself as he walked up the first and lowest path on the mountain. "And I'm going to find out what it is."

Before Luigi could contemplate on the problem further, he found his path barricaded by a high wall of rocks.

"Mama mia… Bowser's minions must've done this," Luigi surmised. "I don't think even Super Punch will break it either. And even if it did, it'd only cause the rocks to tumble onto me. What to do…"

Luigi began to figure only a really good jumper would get over this obstacle, but not even he could jump that high and his jumping ability surpassed Mario's, which was very good as is. Still, the rocks also looked climbable. Perhaps a jump would give him a needed boost. Deciding to go along with the idea, Luigi placed his feet firmly in the dirt and turned his hands into fists. Without warning, his body began to flatten out like a spring and before he knew it, the plumber was launched at least fifteen feet into the air. He landed safely on top of the rocks.

"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Luigi blurted aloud. "Oh wait, the second star. So far, so good then. I wonder, though…"

After deciding Super Jump was a fitting term for his new ability, Luigi launched himself into the air once more above the rocks. He then drew back his fist and launched a Super Punch straight down through center of the wall. Luigi's fist cut through every rock and left a small crater in the rocky floor below. The second Battle Star must have increased the strength of Super Punch as well and combining it with Super Jump made its might even greater.

"Mama mia! With this kind of power, nothing will stand in my way!" Luigi opined after flipping back onto his feet. "Bowser's goons are as good as dead!"


	10. Kamek's Plot

Chapter 10: Kamek's Plot

Luigi continued his way up the winding paths of Mt. Shroom, unable to take the thoughts of Daisy and the Peach he met on the path off his mind. Whatever was happening on the mountain, Bowser Jr. was most likely involved in it, and Luigi suspected Kamek and "Peach" were too. In fact, he believed the two had some connection. As Luigi endlessly contemplated the matter, he continued his journey, running into occasional Dry Bones, Hammer Bros, and various other mountain enemies along the way. The fighting soon made Luigi notice that the enemies were gradually getting tougher as he progressed through his quest. It was only natural, for that had always been the case for him and Mario in the past.

However, just as he was approaching the halfway point up to the top, he heard the Peach voice again nearby. She reappeared sitting on a rock just up ahead. "Peach" had a smile on her face.

"We meet again, Luigi!" she greeted. "Are you sure your brother isn't in Toad Town waiting on you?"

Luigi folded his arms and eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm pretty sure," he replied.

"I think you should double check," Peach insisted in her cheery voice.

"I think I need to keep going," Luigi countered. "You're not holding me back from Daisy, Kamek!"

Peach smiled deviously and snickered.

"So you figured it out, eh?" Kamek replied, transforming from Peach to his normal self. Luigi's arms remained folded. He figured all along that it had to be Kamek in disguise.

"You weren't fooling anyone," he confirmed. "I knew that wasn't the real Peach from the start."

"Well, it doesn't matter now!" Kamek retorted. "I was merely stalling you so Bowser Jr. had time to deal with your precious princess!"

Luigi tried hard not to blush at Kamek's words, but he couldn't prevent his cheeks from turning a faint pink. Luckily for him, Kamek didn't seem to notice.

"And you were trying to trick me into thinking Mario and Peach had escaped so I would give up looking for Bowser!" Luigi added, anger burning up in his mind.

"Hoo hoo, you are a smart one. Too bad you'll soon meet your match!"

Luigi gritted his teeth as Kamek began to flee on his broom up the mountain trail. The plumber immediately took chase afterward, hoping he wouldn't be too late to rescue Daisy. He'd never forgive himself if he let a single soul fall to Bowser or his minions, especially someone as important as Daisy. She was as much a friend to him and Mario as the others were.

"Come back here and fight, you coward!" Luigi yelled as he ran.

"Look who's talking," Kamek retorted. "Catch me if you can!"

Just moments after he had begun pursuing Kamek, Luigi spotted a familiar plant growing at the edge of the trail. Its flower was colored red and yellow.

"Ah, the good old Fire Flower. Perfect!" Luigi opined happily and snatched one up as fast as he could. Its power immediately transformed him into Fire Luigi, donning him in his familiar green overalls and white shirt with a matching white cap. This power up was one of Mario and Luigi's favorites and was one of the first the two ever used.

Luigi ran as fast as he could and began throwing his trademark green fireballs at Kamek. However. Kamek, as speedy as he was, evaded every one of them. With that, Luigi knew he had to form a strategy and fast. He remembered Yoshi once telling him and Mario that he never actually fought Kamek himself, but the baddies whom he made more powerful with his magic. It then reminded Luigi that his Super Punch and other moves had become more powerful thanks to the second Battle Star.

Knowing this, Luigi then slugged the cliff wall to his left as he ran with a maximum strength Super Punch, sending pieces of rock scattering in every direction. A few of the bigger rocks struck Kamek from behind at high speeds due to the impact of Luigi's fist. A smile forming on his face, Luigi then sent another fireball in Kamek's direction and scored a hit. The Magikoopa stumbled over from the impact, but quickly scrambled back onto his broom and faced Luigi. The green-clad plumber simply stood there with his arms folded.

"Well, you certainly have some fight in you," Kamek commented. "You're not at all what Bowser made you out to be. But if you want me to eliminate you now, then so be it!"

Kamek then raised his magic staff and began firing blasts of magic at Luigi. He ran, ducked, and avoided every one of them, making it clear that Bowser had given Kamek, as well as Bowser Jr., some of the Grand Battle Star's power. It indicated that Luigi only had a matter of time before all of the star's power was drained and it would be too late to even find Bowser, let alone stop him.

To counter Kamek's attacks, Luigi threw more fireballs. However, he too, dodged whatever was thrown at him. Luigi came up with another idea regardless, and halted in his tracks, hoping his plan B would work. The next magic attack Kamek fired, Luigi attempted to knock back with a Super Punch, however it struck him anyway, causing him to fall over. Kamek cackled with joy as Luigi yelped in pain from the impact of the ground. More determined than ever, an angry Luigi scrambled to his feet and thought twice.

This time, Luigi readied another fireball, and with a super-charged fist, threw his hand right into the green blaze and created a combination attack: Super Fire Punch. Kamek's next attack was penetrated with green fire and knocked back at him as a green flamed magic blast. Now it was his turn to yelp, and Luigi merely stood there, proud of his new move. Kamek only grunted and continued to fire his magic attacks and picked up the pace \every time Luigi would strike him. Luigi himself, however, wasn't going to give up that easily.

Time went by as Luigi moved quickly to keep from getting hit by Kamek's magic attacks again. As quickly as his hands would move, Luigi performed Super Fire Punch whenever he could, and the noticeably powerful move thankfully was able to cause a decent amount of damage. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Kamek to begin weakening. His magic attacks became significantly slower, though he continued to fire them quickly. As soon as Luigi delivered another Super Fire Punch, Kamek collapsed to the ground. Luigi merely stood there and panted from running about for so long.

"You've gotten much stronger than before…" Kamek commented between breaths. "But don't think this is the end! We'll meet again!"

With that, he flew off towards the top of the mountain on his broom.

Luigi stood there a bit longer to catch his breath before continuing. Just as he was about to keep going, he spotted a cave entrance up the path ahead. It was directly beneath the mountain summit, which rose high above it. Luigi quickly traversed the rest of the path and entered the deep, dark cave, hoping he would find some trace of Daisy or the next Battle Star inside. His only hope was to figure out what Kamek was scheming with Bowser Jr. and then make his escape with Daisy and the star.

The rocky cave, known as Shroom Cavern, was very dimly lit. Luigi could barely see inside among the few torches lining the walls of the cave and carefully listened for any voices near or far. Goombas, Paragoombas with wings, and several other enemies populated the cavern tunnels while a chilly breeze blew in the opposite direction of Luigi's walking. Holding onto his hat, Luigi fended off any enemies that attempted to attack him, and continued listening for any voices and keeping an eye out for clues.

Sometime later, after wandering through numerous tunnels trailing upward, Luigi found himself in front of a fork in the path. He simply stood there and eyed each one, unsure of which path to take. Suddenly, he heard a shout echo from the left path. He opened his ears and recognized the voice right away: Daisy. More voices appeared as Luigi raced down the path and soon enough, he recognized them as Kamek and Bowser Jr. He found them in an underground chamber right underneath the mountain summit mere moments later. Knowing he had to keep from being seen, Luigi ducked behind a nearby rock and listened to the conversation.

"I can't believe you let yourself lose to him!" Bowser Jr. shouted. "I told you he wasn't simply another Mario! We've got to take him seriously!"

"I know, but I won't lose next time," Kamek replied. "I'm only just getting started."

"You leave Luigi out of this!" Daisy yelled in an angry tone. "Neither of you will ever beat him!"

Luigi spotted her locked up in a cell behind Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. then turned around and smiled deviously at her. Luigi watched them with great curiosity.

"So the little princess thinks her clad-green plumber will come to the rescue, eh?" he taunted. Daisy tried hard to prevent it, but her cheeks turned a rosy pink. Bowser Jr. didn't seem to care at all.

"Exactly! You know he'll be here!" an angry Daisy replied.

"And that's why we have a little surprise planned for his arrival," Kamek added. Daisy grimaced and gritted her teeth.

"Oooh, you both are _so_ busted when I get out of here!" Daisy retorted.

Kamek and Bowser Jr. simply laughed as they walked to the other end of the chamber and continued to converse. Luigi quietly crept towards Daisy's cell and ducked behind every rock he came to so as not to be seen. A few feet away from Daisy, he quietly tapped against the rock he was hiding behind.

"Luigi!" Daisy whispered happily when she heard the tapping and then took note of the colors of Luigi's clothes. "Hey, you've got one of those Fire Flowers, don't you?"

Luigi motioned her to be quiet as he tip toed up to the lock on her cell, trying to figure out how to open it. Daisy kept eyeing Bowser Jr. and Kamek, hoping they wouldn't spot Luigi.

"Yeah, but not so loud, alright? I don't want to get caught," Luigi warned.

"Did Toadsworth and the others tell you I was here?" Daisy inquired.

"Yeah, thankfully they were able to give me enough clues to find you," Luigi replied, tinkering at the lock. "Okay, I have an idea on how to bust you out of here, but it may take some time."

Daisy merely nodded curiously. With that, Luigi created a green fireball and held it below the lock, hoping to heat it up and burn it off. Daisy watched with fascination.

"Ah, your fireballs are green! Figures, since that's your color. Mario's are normal though, if I remember right."

"Yeah, but listen. Kamek is plotting something with Bowser Jr.," Luigi explained. "Something that involves us. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to find out."

Daisy nodded and agreed that they were indeed up to something. Still working on the lock, Luigi concentrated with the green fireball and soon the lock started to slowly melt. In just minutes, it dripped off the cell door and onto the floor. It made a blobbing sound as it hit. However, Kamek heard it and saw Daisy following Luigi out of the cell. He quietly floated up to them unnoticed.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired rhetorically.

Luigi stopped in his tracks, followed by Daisy. Bowser Jr. stood behind Kamek with his arms folded. Just standing there, Luigi had to think fast of a way to escape.


	11. The Attack on Mount Shroom

Chapter 11: The Attack on Mount Shroom

As Luigi and Daisy stood there face to face with Kamek and Bowser Jr., the two were unsure of what to do. Cornered in a room with the only way out blocked by their enemies, the pair could only stand there. Glancing at Bowser Jr., an idea soon came to Luigi's mind.

"We've been waiting for you, Luigi," Kamek announced deviously. Luigi glared at him and bravely went in front of Daisy.

"Ha. You think you can protect her from us?" Kamek continued. "Bowser has already taken away much of the Grand Battle Star's power. He's unstoppable!"

Luigi folded his arms and smiled.

"Indeed," he replied. "Perhaps I won't be a match for you this time."

Kamek merely stood there with a slightly stupefied look on his face. Luigi put a hand behind his back and shot Daisy a thumbs-up, signaling that he had an escape plan. She took note of it and continued watching the scene.

"Oh really?" Kamek inquired.

"Yeah, you win," Luigi fibbed. "We may as well be off."

With that, Luigi motioned Daisy to follow him and the two began to walk away until they were behind Bowser Jr. He had another hand behind his back, this time engulfed in a green fireball. He chuckled quietly to himself. Suddenly, he lit Bowser Jr.'s tail on fire, turning it a bright green. Bowser Jr. sniffed the air, smelling smoke, and suddenly realized what was being cooked.

"YOWWWWWWWW!" he screamed, running all over the room and clutching his burning tail. Kamek whirled around to see what was happening.

"C'mon, now's our chance!" Luigi exclaimed as he grabbed Daisy's hand and bolted into the tunnel with her. She smiled deviously as she followed him.

"Luigi, you're a genius!" Daisy complimented, chuckling at Bowser Jr. while he still held his tail.

"Eh, it was a piece of cake," Luigi replied with a friendly wink. The two continued through the tunnels to escape the mountain, despite that Luigi could not remember for an instant where he'd originally entered. However, to his dismay, Kamek had sent an army of Goombas, Koopas, Bob-omb Bros, and Boomerang Bros after them. They appeared in the tunnels not long after their escape from the room in which Daisy had been imprisoned. Luigi motioned Daisy to continue following him and the two dashed down the tunnel ahead of them as boomerangs and Bob-ombs flew in their direction. The boomerangs were one thing, but Bob-ombs could possibly cause the whole tunnel to cave in from their explosions. However, Luigi was still unsure of the way out, which only worried him more. Thankfully, the attacks stopped when the pair finally turned a sharp corner into yet another tunnel. Thinking they lost the army of enemies, the two stopped at an intersection not far off to catch their breath.

"Hey, what exactly did Bowser Jr. mean by you not being another Mario?" Daisy wondered through panting.

"Oh, he and Kamek probably thought I'd be as easy to trick or stump as he is," Luigi replied. He then explained Kamek's fake Peach disguise on the path and how it didn't fool him for a minute. If Mario really had escaped Bowser with Peach and returned to Toad Town to wait for Luigi, Toadsworth or somebody else in town would have probably known and let Luigi know. However, he'd heard of no such event and suspected something fishy was going on.

"Wow, that was smart thinking," Daisy complimented. "I bet you could get yourself out of a situation that would leave Mario stumped for awhile."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Luigi countered. "Mario's pretty smart in his own ways, but I guess the fact that he's more gullible would make me a little smarter. Why, I remember one time, Yoshi fooled Mario into thinking he was a mad Koopa using a costume he was planning to wear to a party we'd been invited to. I could tell it was fake, but Mario nearly ended up beating Yoshi half to death."

"Haha, oh wow. But yeah, that makes sense."

Before Luigi could respond, however, a massive group of footsteps echoed behind the pair. The two glanced behind them to find Kamek's goons still pursuing them, their expressions verging on feral.

"Mama mia, here we go again," Luigi grumbled, glaring at his foes. He and Daisy instantly raced down the tunnel, hoping to lose them at the next intersection. When exhaustion began growing on him, Luigi slowed down and glanced behind him. The mob of enemies was still on their tail and it seemed that no matter where Luigi and Daisy fled, their pursuers eventually caught up to them. Now it occurred to Luigi that they must have been trying to outrun them.

Just past the next intersection, Luigi spotted a boulder at the tunnel's left wall. He quickly dashed behind it, pulling Daisy with him. He sat down to catch his breath after the angry mob dashed by without noticing the pair. Daisy descended next to him, also quite exhausted. However, it was only minutes before the sounds of the enemies' feet echoed through the tunnel ahead once again. Luigi groaned in irritation, still reluctant to run again.

"Mama mia…there must be some way to get those goons out of our hair," he said.

"But what are we going to do? There's too many of them for us to handle by ourselves," Daisy pointed out.

Luigi frantically looked around for a solution and soon noticed a small, rocky ledge above him. The ceiling above the ledge was slightly cracked. Luigi smiled, knowing a plan was coming to mind. He then turned to Daisy again, forgetting about being fatigued.

"I have an idea. I'll get on that ledge and make the ceiling cave in on them. You keep them stalled for me."

Daisy nodded and came out from behind the boulder only to find the mob had already arrived. She immediately began taunting them while Luigi launched a Super Punch into the ceiling above the ledge. It slowly cracked some more, eventually pouring pieces of rock before the entire mob, blocking their way forward. Daisy quickly dashed out of the way, so as not to get hit. Luigi jumped down from the ledge moments later to rejoin her.

"Haha! That ought to hold them for awhile!" Daisy exclaimed happily as she gave Luigi a high five. "We make a good team!"

"Right on!" Luigi replied with a smile. "Now let's get out of here."

With that, the two quickly ran off down the tunnels ahead. Unfortunately, every tunnel appeared to be the same winding corridor as before. It looked as if there was no escape and that Luigi and Daisy were merely going in circles. Thankfully, Luigi spotted sunlight up ahead mere minutes later, indicating an exit was near. He and Daisy quickly went through it only to find themselves on a mountain trail partially bordered by a cliff. Nearby was a waterfall pouring into a flowing river below.

Realizing they must have ended up on a different section of the mountain, Luigi began leading Daisy in a hike around to the other side. By now the enemy mob likely wouldn't find them, so the two decided to slow down and take it easy back down the mountain. Daisy caught up with Luigi moments later and walked beside him as the two passed below the waterfall.

"You know, that was a pretty neat setup back there, trapping those enemies like that," she complimented. "I doubt even Kamek could pull a smart stunt like that on anyone, especially you."

"Heh, thanks," Luigi replied. "Mario always said I had good—"

He halted in his tracks and cut himself off, finally realizing the whole plan behind Daisy's capture.

"Wait a minute…That's it! Kamek _did_ try to do that!" he exclaimed. "And Bowser Jr. was in on it!"

"What?" Daisy wondered, turning around to face Luigi.

"Don't you see? They used you to get to me," Luigi explained. He then went on to say that Bowser Jr. didn't kidnap Daisy simply because she was helping him or to solely get revenge on Luigi for beating him in the forest. He was actually intending to lure Luigi up the mountain to Kamek, where the two would try to prevent him from finding Bowser. Kamek's Peach disguise was only to provoke Luigi into further focusing on Daisy by tricking him into thinking Bowser was no longer an issue when saying Peach and Mario escaped their imprisonment. Kamek actually _knew_ Luigi wouldn't believe Mario was in Toad Town. He was really trying to trick Luigi into thinking he was the real Peach and that that was proof enough of hers and Mario's escape.

"Their plan was working," Luigi went on. "But then I outsmarted them."

"Well, of all the nerve," Daisy replied in an annoyed tone. "You did a good job of foiling their plan, though. That was some scheme."

"Tell me about it. Thanks, though. You helped me figure it out."

"No problem. Still, I definitely despise the idea of being Luigi bait."

Luigi laughed at Daisy's comment.

"Seriously, who _would _want to be bait for someone else? The only thing I don't understand, though, is why Kamek didn't mention Yoshi. He was captured as well."

"Yoshi? Oh, that dinosaur friend of yours that Mario has mentioned to me a few times. That is a good question."

Luigi nodded.

"Yeah, him. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll hang on.

"…Well, if you say so."

Silence befell the paur as they continued past the waterfall and began traversing a downward sloping trail. Daisy peered up at the night sky, which was clear enough to see thousands of stars. The full moon lit the sky overhead, shining down upon all of Mushroom Kingdom. As she explored the darkness, Daisy let out a tired yawn. Luigi heard it and soon noticed her drooping eyelids and smiled.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. It's late and I've been up and about all day, not to mention all that running we did back there was exhausting," Daisy replied.

"I agree. I'm a little tired myself. After all, I've been running around a lot today. Which reminds me, do I smell at all?"

Daisy halted as she arched one eyebrow and forgot about being tired. Luigi went pink in the cheeks, realizing he asked a strange question.

"Well, now that you mention it, you do smell a little funny," Daisy replied, trying not to make Luigi look idiotic for asking. "Why?"

"Uh…this is going to sound silly, but…" Luigi began in a nervous tone. He relayed to Daisy the events from the haunted mansion and forest and how the ghosts shoved him into a garbage dumpster. Forgetting that he reeked of trash, Luigi returned to Toad Town smelling like he hadn't washed up in ages. He didn't realize it until Toad found him by his house and pointed it out. By now, the odor must have partially faded away.

"Oh, haha. I believe you," Daisy assured. "Sometimes the enemy—"

Suddenly, a rumbling noise cut Daisy off. Luigi looked up above to see a wave of rocks heading straight for their path. The two of them attempted to get out of the way, but the rocks tumbled down and crashed into the mountain trail, causing another rockslide below. Luigi stumbled and fell over, catching the edge of the path's cliff with his right hand. Daisy began falling below as well until Luigi grabbed her arm with his free hand just in time. The two then merely hung there, unable to do anything to help themselves. Luigi looked up again to see Kamek's mob at the top of the path above.

"Not them again…" he groaned.

"Ugh…don't those guys ever give up?" Daisy wondered rhetorically.

"I wish. But nevermind that, we've got to get out of this mess. Just don't let go!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

Luigi tightened his grip on the cliff as he desperately tried to think of a way to save both him and Daisy. Suddenly, a breeze began blowing, rendering it even more difficult for Luigi to hang on. Unable to hold on to it, his hat was blown off his head and plunged down to the foot of the mountain below. Luigi looked back and watched as his only trademark belonging disappeared below him. Daisy attempted to grab it, but the hat flew by so quickly, she barely missed it.

"Aw great…" Luigi grumbled. Before he could think anymore, however, he found a pair of Koopas standing on the path directly above him. They began stomping on his hand in attempt to force him to let go.

"Ouch!"

"What's going on?" Daisy inquired from below.

"They're trying to push my hand off!" Luigi replied.

Before the two could say anything more, a Goomba came to the Koopas' aid and shoved Luigi's hand away from the cliff. After failing to grab the cliff again, the two plunged down below. Without thinking, Daisy let go of Luigi's hand and grabbed onto him by his neck and closed her eyes in fear. Noticing a rope bridge below, Luigi quickly tossed fireballs at it and broke it. He grabbed the remaining ropes and before he knew it, he and Daisy were swinging right towards the wall of the cliff.

"Hey, watch out for the—!" Daisy began.

Before she could finish, Luigi slammed into the rocky wall and mistakenly let go of the rope. Not noticing, Daisy let go of Luigi and grabbed it herself. She gasped as Luigi fell into the thin river below and washed up on the shore near the waterfall. Worried whether he was alright, she didn't notice the angry mob of Koopas appear at the other end of the bridge on the path and begin chewing on the rope. It wasn't until it broke that she spotted them and began to descend below.

Luigi then rose at the edge of the water only to see Daisy with a broken strand of rope. He quickly scrambled to his fatigued feet and caught Daisy in his arms in the nick of time, only to fall back into the cliff wall behind him. His grip loosened as he began collapsing to the ground. Daisy soon found herself sitting on his lap and quickly got up. She kneeled down to Luigi's level in hopes that he was okay.

"Luigi!" Daisy exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Luigi didn't answer. Instead, he just lay there, breathing lightly and looking bruised and beaten. Daisy felt tears coming to her eyes. Luigi had just allowed himself to seriously get hurt to save her. Thankfully, however, Luigi slowly sat up moments later, grimacing from the pain he had taken. His right hip hurt the most from slamming into the cliff.

"Don't…worry," he stammered. "I'll be fine. Are you alright?"

"Yeah…thanks to you," Daisy replied with a smile.

Luigi returned the gesture and slowly stood up. He stumbled from the pain in his left leg, for he'd fallen on it after letting go of the rope. Daisy quickly caught him and helped him regain his balance.

"Are you sure you're fine?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I just need to take a little rest before—" Luigi began. "Oh no…the star! I never found it!"

"Oh, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you? You can't go after it now. Not in the condition you're in!"

"But I have to… I'll take a short rest before I go."

"Well, alright."

With that, Luigi plopped back down against the rocky wall and decided to sit there for a few minutes. With the breeze in his hair now, having his hat off felt strange. Luigi hoped he hadn't lost it for good or that the hat didn't land in the river. If it had landed there, the river would have pulled it downstream to who knows where.

"Hey, don't worry too much about your hat," Daisy spoke up, sensing Luigi's thoughts. "I'm sure if it went downstream, someone there will find it."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," Luigi replied. "Mario and I have had those hats since we were babies. Come to think of it, he'd go through the roof if he found out I lost mine."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find it before Mario even suspects a thing," Daisy assured. "Besides, I think you look better with it off."

She shot Luigi a friendly giggle.

"Thanks."

As Luigi continued to rest, he returned Daisy's smile. While he regained his strength and the parts of his clothes that had gotten wet from the river were drying, he listened to the waterfall as its waves beat the flowing river. Daisy was gazing upon the night sky again, seemingly admiring the stars and full moon ahead. Earlier, the sky had been cloudy, and Luigi must not have noticed it cleared up. Just seeing Daisy there with him made him begin to feel better. She soon turned around to face him again.

"Hey by the way, Mario once told me that you're heroic like him… Just in a different way," Daisy recalled. "And you know…he's right. You are a hero. My hero."

She smiled at Luigi once more. Luigi couldn't help but let his cheeks turn a faint red. It was now obvious to him that Daisy already really liked him.

"Ah, it was nothing. I really couldn't let you get hurt. Not like I did," Luigi replied, smiling again. "You've been a big help. And besides that…you're my friend and a good friend to my brother. I have to protect you."

"Aren't you a sweetie."

"Heh, thanks. Well, I feel okay enough to get going," Luigi decided, changing the subject. "You wait here. You should be safe behind the waterfall. No one will see you there."

"Right," Daisy replied. "Be careful up there. I care about you too, you know."

"I will. Those two goons up there won't know what hit them."

With that, Luigi departed and headed for the mountain trail again. Daisy watched as he disappeared around the corner to return to the summit. She sat there in hopes he was right about being able to handle Kamek and Bowser Jr. by himself and in his condition. All she could do was wait.


	12. The Star Tablet

Chapter 12: The Star Tablet

Daisy sat there behind the waterfall in silence as she awaited Luigi's return. The only sound she could hear in her surroundings was the sound of the waterfall crashing into the river beside her. As she gazed upon the rocky walls and paths around her, she spotted something out of the ordinary on the side of the cliff just down the river to her left. Daisy crept out from behind the waterfall and quietly approached the object to get a better look. It took only a few steps away for her to see it was Luigi's hat caught to the rock. Wanting to rescue it for him, she quickly ran from the waterfall and began climbing up the rocky wall just below the hat, though it was difficult with the heeled shoes she was wearing. When Daisy was high enough, she reached for the hat and plucked it from where it had been hanging. However, before she could begin to climb down, familiar noises echoed below her. A small group of Goombas and Koopas were standing on the path below.

"Oh, so you guys want to play, do you?" Daisy opined. "Well, guess what? You're messing with the wrong princess!"

With that, Daisy leaped off the wall, still clutching Luigi's hat, and landed right on top of the enemies. To escape, she used them like stepping stones in a pond and ran ahead. The Goombas chased after her, but only to find themselves kicked in the gut by orange heels. With the defeat of the Goombas, the rest of the party retreated and ran off. Daisy put her hands to her hips, still holding onto the hat.

"Yeah, you better run!" she hollered. "I've got more where that came from!"

With that, Daisy walked back to the waterfall and sat down, clutching the green hat in her gloved hands. She looked down upon the green "L" symbol on the front, her hero Luigi stuck in her mind. Daisy hoped he had enough strength to deal with Kamek and Bowser Jr., but she was unsure. After all, Luigi had taken a nasty blow from colliding with the cliff wall and had been greatly weakened. Still, Daisy had confidence that he would succeed so a third star could add to his strength.

Meanwhile, back up the mountain Luigi went, bruised and rather dirty, even though the water from the river had washed some of the dirt off. His hair flew in the breeze due to his head being hatless for the time being. Of course, Luigi knew his hat was the least of his worries. Whether or not he had enough strength left to take on Bowser's minions was a major concern for him as well as Daisy, and even the princess of Sarasaland herself had a small place in the determined plumber's mind. While collecting his thoughts and coming up with some strategies, Luigi finally reached the cave again and hurried inside. He immediately began searching the tunnels for any sign of Kamek, Bowser Jr. or the Battle Star, knowing he had to be careful. There could be enemies lurking around any corner.

While trying to retrace his steps, Luigi proceeded with caution. Going back the way he and Daisy had come was not even the least bit easy, as everything around looked the same in every tunnel and intersection just as before. Still, Luigi had no choice but to press on and keep trying to work his way through to wherever the third star was hidden. However, time passed, and Luigi remained lost throughout the tunnels. In fact, it was almost worse than the puzzling mazes of Alvaro Cave. After much walking and guessing paths, Luigi finally reached a chamber in the mountain sometime later that was larger than the others he'd passed earlier. Having walked a lot not only through the mountain, but throughout the previous night and day as well, Luigi let himself collapse on the ground in fatigue.

"Mama…mia," he panted as he lay there. "I sure hope…this big room…is the right way."

Using what was left of his remaining strength, Luigi crawled over to one of the walls of the room and sat up against it. As he sat there, taking another good rest, thoughts of where the third star could be located kept racing in his head. The mountain was so big, there were many places it could be hidden, maybe even more than Luigi could speculate. When he finally felt re-energized sometime later, Luigi rose to his feet, though slight pain still lingered from his injuries. Before he could resume his quest to find his third star, however, he was greeted by Rosalina once again, who had nearly suddenly appeared before him.

"Luigi," she greeted. "I'm so glad to have found you again."

"Rosalina? What are you doing way up here?" Luigi wondered.

"I'd like you to follow me. These tunnels and caves span far and wide throughout this mountain, making it nearly impossible to find anything inside quickly," Rosalina explained. "I shall lead you to your next Battle Star."

"Thank you! I don't know how much longer I can wander through here before I faint."

With that, Rosalina began floating down one of the nearby tunnels, and Luigi followed as quickly as he could to keep up with her. As time passed, he began to notice that they were traveling higher and higher upon the mountain due to the sloping tunnels. How much farther up would Rosalina take Luigi? Getting back down didn't appear to be a very easy task at all, Luigi decided, since he'd gotten himself lost so easily before. Still, he knew he had to do anything that needed to be done in order to complete his mission.

"We're almost there. You see, this star is located at the peak of this mountain," Rosalina went on as they drew closer and closer to their destination. "It awaits you in a small shrine."

"Phew…" Luigi replied, the feelings of both relief and exhaustion beginning to return to him.

"Also, there is something else located there that you must see," Rosalina added. "It's vital to your quest."

"I see."

Luigi immediately began wondering what else on the mountain could be as important as the Battle Star. Was it related to the legend behind the hidden relics? Or did it have to do with Bowser's location or where he could have taken Mario and the others? Whatever it was, Luigi would find out soon. Or, so he thought. When the pair arrived in another chamber larger than the tunnels, Rosalina suddenly halted where she hovered while a faint gasp escaped her lips. It didn't take Luigi long to figure out why, either. A glassy, magical barrier of some sort barricaded the tunnel straight ahead.

"Oh no… It's sealed off…" Rosalina uttered with clear fear in her voice. "But who could—? Aaah!"

Luigi jumped when a glowing red beam suddenly struck Rosalina and froze her body in midair. Her eyes had widened while her mouth hung half way open. Red sparks erupted from her body every few seconds. Luigi frantically looked around for the source of the attack and nearly stumbled when he saw Kamek hovering near the glassy barrier.

"Kamek! What did you do to her?" Luigi demanded, only to be given an evil chuckle in response. "Answer me!"

"What, didn't you like my little surprise?" Kamek sarcastically replied. "I only thought I'd liven things up a bit."

"Don't push me!" Luigi shot back, clenching a fist. "If you've hurt her—!"

"Oh, don't worry, she's perfectly safe. I've merely paralyzed her. I had a feeling your little friend here would attempt to throw a monkey wrench into things and King Bowser can't have that, now can he?"

"So you knew how to get up here all along?"

"Exactly. I also sealed off the shrine ahead with my magic. There's no going in without going through me first!"

With that, Kamek raised his wand once more and soon began glowing a vicious red color. He then soared right into Rosalina's body and disappeared. The red glow then enveloped her, causing her dress to turn a navy blue and her own wand to be covered in a gray mist. Her eyes turned an eerie yellow glow while her crown and the star-shaped jewel on her dress became an ebony black.

"And you won't touch me without attacking your friend!" Kamek continued in Rosalina's voice. "Hahahaha!"

Luigi merely stood there in silence and complete astonishment. Kamek was trying to force him into battling Rosalina, his own friend and ally. But how could he even think about doing such a thing? Rosalina wielded powerful magic for one thing, and for another, Luigi certainly did not want to bring her harm. What's more, Kamek probably had powerful magical abilities as well thanks to the Grand Battle Star. The decision was difficult indeed.

"So what'll it be, Luigi? Do you have the guts to fight one of your own allies?" Kamek taunted with an evil chuckle.

Luigi still could not decide. Surrender and save Rosalina possible harm or risk it and continue his quest to defeat Bowser? Sweat lined his forehead and dampened his hair as he endlessly contemplated the matter. He then began to ask himself, what would Mario do? What would Yoshi do? Heck, what would Peach or any of the Toads do? Still, he was unable to come up with any answers. Moments later, a small, but familiar feminine voice appeared in his head and called out to him.

"Luigi… Luigi… Don't give in… Don't give in, no matter what…"

"Huh? Rosalina?" Luigi mumbled quietly enough for Kamek not to hear.

"Yes. This fiend has taken over my body, but I can still communicate with you telepathically. However, since he's fighting to keep me silent and imprisoned in my own mind, I'm afraid I can't speak to you long. But please, you must fight him. Don't worry about me."

"But… I can't risk hurting you. I…I have to surrender!"

"No! Trust me. It's much better that you fight. Think about it. Surrender, and you'll only save me and perhaps even sacrifice yourself. Defeat Kamek, and you could be saving hundreds of lives, including those of your brother and friends."

"…Well, you do have a point. Okay then."

"Thank you. Kamek's magic is proving to be even stronger than mine, but if you find a way to weaken him, I may be able to free myself."

"Got it."

_I just hope you know what you're doing…_ Luigi thought to himself before Rosalina responded.

"Alright. I'm afraid this is where our conversation ends. His power is just too…strong…"

With that, Rosalina's voice faded away. Luigi then returned his attention to the Kamek-possessed Rosalina again, his glaring eyes now filled with courage and confidence.

"So, deciding to fight after all, eh?" Kamek guessed with a snicker.

"Yep. And you won't beat me," Luigi replied, taking an offensive position.

"Ha, we'll see who beats who!"

With that, the brawl began. Kamek began by launching a magical projectile attack at Luigi just as he had before. Only this time, it looked different, and not simply because he was waving Rosalina's wand instead of his own either. It was like he'd infused his powers with Rosalina's, creating a whole new form of magic. Still, if this was really the case, did that mean he had become even more powerful just by taking over Rosalina's body? Whatever the answer was, Luigi was not given a chance to figure it out. He quickly vaulted out of the attack's path and began contemplating how he could knock the attacks back again. Last time, he'd used Super Fire Punch, and although he was still in Fire Luigi form, he wasn't sure if the same tactic would work twice. In fact, why would Kamek even allow that? Surely he wasn't that stupid.

Before Luigi could come up with a solution, however, he almost didn't realize Kamek, as Rosalina, constantly moved throughout the room. He floated above Luigi, away from Luigi, and around Luigi, firing his magic from all angles. Luigi also soon noticed that another Fire Flower grew in the corner of the room. This was no surprise, as they were usually found in dim, mountainous areas. So even if Luigi were to be hit and lose his power up, he could simply grab another one. As Rosalina's possessed body floated over him once more, Luigi suddenly remembered his new Super Jump technique. He'd risk slamming into the ceiling if he missed, but the tactic he'd instantly come up with just might've been what he was looking for.

As Kamek continued his magical assault, Luigi began springing into the air via Super Jump in order to match Kamek's altitude. Once he was airborne, Luigi then launched Super Punches towards his target. The first two had been misses, but the third time proved to be the charm. Luigi smiled when his fist went right into Rosalina's chest. Rosalina tumbled backwards while still airborne, but Kamek, while possessing her, seemed to feel the pain. Now Luigi was sure he knew exactly how to take him down. What's more, he noticed that he had full control over how high he soared when using Super Jump. So much for the concern of slamming into the ceiling.

After Luigi landed a few more blows with Super Fire Punch, he paused for a moment and realized that miraculously, Rosalina's body had remained unscathed the entire time. She must have used some sort of magic spell to protect it. It was also clear by now that Kamek was definitely feeling pain. He grunted when he came to the same realization Luigi had. _Argh! Where is he getting this power? _Kamek angrily thought to himself. _And why is it that I'm feeling pain from his attacks, but this body has not a scratch on it? It must be the girl. It has to be…_

_ "Now do you see that controlling me comes with a price?" _Rosalina spoke up moments later inside her mind, deep inside a mental prison. _"Even as a prisoner in my own mind, I still have control over my magic."_

_"Quiet! I'll not be interrupted!"_ Kamek retorted. _"Luigi may not be able to harm you, but I still can! And, now that I know what you've been up to, I have good reason to step up my game."_

_ "Maybe so, but Luigi is too powerful for you. Whether you harm me or not, he will defeat you."_

_ "Hah."_

"What's the matter, Kamek?" Luigi taunted while the Magikoopa remained hovering where he was inside Rosalina's body. "My fist got your tongue?"

"You wish. I've only just begun!" Kamek assured him.

With that, the Magikoopa used Rosalina's wand to conjure up a vicious yellow beam and then began twirling her around in circles. As he did so, he headed straight for Luigi. Luigi vaulted to the side to avoid it, but Kamek only continued to pursue him. He wasn't going to give up so easily and now Luigi had to change his tactic. He noticed that sometimes Kamek descended low enough to where Rosalina's feet almost hit the floor. That soon gave him an idea that was sure to prove effective. When Kamek hovered close to the floor again, Luigi leaped in the air using Super Jump and then struck him from above using Super Fire Punch. Though this made Kamek even angrier, he still continued to fight.

Soon enough, however, Rosalina was able to speak telepathically to Luigi again and reported that Kamek was nearly weak enough for her to regain control of her body. Excitedly, Luigi continued attempting to strike Kamek. It took some time and Luigi suffered a few hits himself in the process due to his exhaustion, but he eventually managed to land one more direct hit from above. Nearly without warning, Kamek emerged from Rosalina's body and Rosalina's appearance and eyes returned to normal. Kamek, on the other hand, remained dazed as he hovered upon his broomstick.

"Allow me to get him out of here for you," Luigi suggested to Rosalina with a smile. Before Rosalina could reply, however, Luigi had already launched one final Super Fire Punch and sent Kamek soaring through the ceiling and far into the sky.

"Thank you, Luigi," Rosalina replied. "I knew I could count on you."

"Hey, I only did what you wanted me to do. But you're welcome. So, can you dispel that barrier?"

"I should be able to. Just give me a few moments."

Luigi nodded while Rosalina hovered over to the magical barrier that still blocked the way forward. With a wave of her wand, the barrier glowed viciously and then vanished into thin air. Rosalina then motioned Luigi to follow her into the short tunnel, dimly lit tunnel. Moments later, the two arrived in a fairly small chamber that was lit only by a few torches lining the walls. Straight ahead on a stone pedestal was the third Battle Star, its red color glinting in the torch light. Sitting directly behind it, however, was a stone tablet with unfamiliar markings inscribed on it. Luigi eyed both relics in awe as he picked up the red star.

"Luigi, this tablet is the item that you must see," Rosalina spoke up moments later. "It holds valuable information for your quest. It is known as the Star Tablet."

"The Star Tablet?" Luigi wondered, eyeing the pictures curiously. At first glance, they didn't seem to make much sense. Soon, however, Luigi realized that they were telling some sort of story. It appeared to be a story about the Battle Stars.

"Yes. As you can see, many pictures are inscribed into it. No one knows exactly where it came from. All anyone does know is that it crashed here alongside the Battle Stars when they first arrived from space."

"I see. Is this tablet telling a story I should hear?"

"Exactly. This tablet tells the full legend of the Battle Stars as well as their origins."

"Full legend? You mean there's more to it than what I already know?"

"Yes. I shall tell you the story this tablet is depicting so you may better understand your destiny. Many years ago, a small star was struck by a mysterious magical force that caused it to explode. However, instead of the debris coming together to form a new star, its remnants took the shapes of Power Stars, each bearing a different color than the others. What remained of the original star's core became the Grand Battle Star, the ultimate source of power. Led by the Grand Battle Star, all of the Battle Stars eventually began traveling the depths of space."

"Wow…"

"The Grand Battle Star remained the source of this power. Should it be destroyed or completely drained of its might, the Battle Stars will be no more. Thus, should any of them be in danger, their chosen master, the only individual their power will be open to, will appear and protect them."

"That's really fascinating," Luigi commented. "These pictures are pretty clear too."

"Indeed. However, the very last picture is the one you must look at," Rosalina replied, gesturing towards the far right side of the tablet. The image inscribed on it depicted a humanoid figure raising its hands. Above it were eight star-shaped objects, each enveloped in a small glow.

"Wait, are these the Battle Stars the figure is holding? But, I thought there were only seven of them."

"At first, it was thought that there were only seven, as only seven of them were seen crashing into this planet. However, the Star Tablet confirms that there are actually eight. Unfortunately, even I do not know where the hidden eighth star lies."

"I see…"

"But Luigi, take a look at the figure holding the stars. Before I ask you who you think it may be, however, there's something you must know. There was another reason Bowser kidnapped your brother besides revenge. He has also seen this tablet. It explains why that fiend who possessed me was so interested in guarding this shrine. Obviously, Bowser could not take the Battle Star, but he knows the legend and assumed that the figure holding the stars was Mario."

"I can definitely imagine that. Thanks for letting me know. But…the figure does look a lot like Mario."

"Maybe at first glance. But, look closer."

Luigi then examined the figure more closely, squinting when his eyes were as close as they could get. It wasn't long before he found a tiny, yet familiar marking on the front of the figure's hat. It was the shape of the letter L. Not M, _L_. Luigi's eyes widened as a gasp escaped from his mouth.

"It…It's _not_ Mario!" he exclaimed, stepping backwards in astonishment. "It's me! That figure is _me!_"

"Indeed. The stars chose you, Luigi, to wield their power. That is why they strengthened you with no question and that is why you were able to find them. Your courage, your determination, and your wisdom made you worthy of being the hero the Battle Stars awaited."

"I…I don't believe it. For once, I'm the chosen hero…and not Mario."

"Yes. The stars knew of your hidden potential. They've brought you out of his shadow and into the light."

"Mama mia… But there's no time to rest. I must find the other four stars. Hopefully, I won't have to search for the eighth in order to defeat Bowser."

"I don't think you'll have to. If you believe in yourself, your abilities, and the stars, you can prevail with seven of them."

"Then I will. I'm glad you showed me this information."

"You're welcome. If you take the left tunnel after leaving the previous room, you'll find a shortcut back to the mountain trail. Farewell, Luigi, and may the stars guide you."

With that, Luigi nodded and Rosalina vanished once more. Luigi then headed back through the tunnel. Toadsworth had been right all along. The green-clad plumber was the rightful master of the Battle Stars and was confident that he would successfully locate the rest. Maybe once Bowser was defeated, Luigi would begin searching for the hidden eighth star. And Bowser…he was in for a big surprise.


	13. Unlikely Allies

Chapter 13: Unlikely Allies

As Luigi made his way back through the tunnels in the mountain, he winced at the aches and pains taking over from his earlier injuries and the fight against Kamek. His adventure in Mount Shroom had taken a lot out of him, but Luigi knew he had to hurry, or else Daisy would begin to worry about him. She was still awaiting his return, after all. The good thing about the situation, however, was that Bowser's minions seemed to have given up. They were nowhere to be found and the entire area was enveloped in silence. Even Bowser Jr. was gone. Luigi sighed with relief, as he wasn't sure he could handle any more of them for the time being. What's more, after following Rosalina's shortcut, Luigi found himself back under the warm sunlight. The tunnel he had taken led him straight to the mountain trail.

"Mama mia… Am I glad that's over," Luigi opined to himself as he headed off in search of Daisy. He wasn't exactly sure which direction he had to take from where he'd exited the cave, but Luigi knew that as long as he circled the mountain, he'd find Daisy eventually. He just hoped he hadn't kept her waiting too long.

Fortunately, Luigi spotted the top of Daisy's short brown hair down below only minutes later. She sat next to the same waterfall from before, awaiting the green-clad plumber's return. The only difference was, she was holding a green-colored object in her hands.

"Could it be?" Luigi wondered as he made his way down to her.

When Daisy heard his footsteps, she immediately rose and turned to face him with a smile on her face.

"Luigi! You made it back!"

"Yeah. And I see you found my hat. Thanks!" Luigi replied as he approached her.

"No problem! Here, take it before another breeze blows it away."

"Right."

With that, Daisy handed Luigi his hat and watched as he put it back on his head.

"Finally. It felt strange running around without my hat."

"I can imagine. You and Mario are so used to wearing those things, aren't you?"

"You can say that again. But, how about we not let him find out I lost mine for awhile, alright?"

"Oh, okay," Daisy agreed with a giggle.

"Anyway, let's get out of here. We don't want to stick around if Bowser's goons plan on coming back anytime soon."

"Good point."

With that, the pair headed back in the direction of Toad Town. Although it was late in the night and Luigi had taken longer than expected to retrieve his third Battle Star, he couldn't help but contemplate where to search next. Four of the known star locations, the sea, an island, a swamp, and a desert, remained unexplored. However, he also knew that his first priority at the moment should be getting both himself and Daisy back to Toad Town and inside the warm castle. Daisy, by now, was likely exhausted and tired, and Luigi even more so due to having worked very hard to come as far as he had. He knew nobody could disagree that he deserved a rest as well. He loathed delaying the rescue of Mario and the others, but anyone knew that an exhausted hero would never succeed in such a task.

Sometime later, the two were able to breathe sighs of relief as Toad Town finally came into view. They quickly rushed towards the castle as quickly as their exhausted legs would carry them, Luigi feeling a rush of excitement flowing through his body. He knew Toadsworth would be very pleased to hear what Luigi had discovered up in Mount Shroom, as it affected the fate of all of Mushroom Kingdom. The elderly Toad himself turned to face Luigi and Daisy moments later as the pair entered the castle doors, having been gazing through the window to keep watch for more of Bowser's minions.

"Ah, Master Luigi! You succeeded in rescuing Princess Daisy!" Toadsworth cried with relief.

"I sure did. It took some real elbow grease, but a victory's a victory," Luigi replied.

"Yeah, he was injured pretty badly after we escaped the cave in the mountain," Daisy added. "But even then, Luigi gave all those goons a real butt-kicking!"

"Eh, heh…"

"Well, I must say, Luigi, I'm very pleased!" Toadsworth commented. "I now have more faith in you than ever."

"Thanks, Toadsworth. By the way, I made an important discovery while I was up there," Luigi continued. "You were right. I _am_ the chosen master of the Battle Stars. The Star Tablet inside the peak of Mount Shroom confirms it. It depicted the story of the stars, and in the last panel, I was shown holding all of them above my head."

"Oh! This is remarkable! I had no doubts at all of this truth."

"Neither did I! Toadsworth told me about the legend while you were in the forest," Daisy added with a smile.

"Heh, I see. And believe me, I was surprised," Luigi replied. "After all, it's usually Mario who's in these positions, not me."

"Very true," Toadsworth agreed. "By the way, how many of the stars have you found so far?"

"Three, actually. One was in Mount Shroom along with the Star Tablet."

"Ah, fine job! And one was in the forest as well, correct?"

"That's right."

"Just as I figured. Might I ask out of curiosity where you found the first star?"

"Oh, this place in the canyon called Alvaro Cave."

On this, Toadsworth froze where he stood and his mouth dropped open.

"A-Alvaro Cave? Luigi! You are truly incredible!"

"Huh?"

"Alvaro Cave has long been regarded as a cursed, dreadful place. Anyone who entered it in the past was never heard from again!"

"Seriously? Mama mia…" Luigi replied, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

"It is true. I am most proud of you. Where are you going to go next?"

"I'm not really sure yet. I was thinking Yoshi's Island. I have a hunch there's another star there somewhere. It's also where I was stranded after Bowser blasted me away, and the Yoshis were more than glad to help me out. I don't think they'll hesitate to help me again."

"I see. That's a good plan. I can only hope you are right. I fear we have little precious time to spare before Bowser has his way with the others."

"As do I. Which is why I should get going right now."

"Now? But Luigi, surely you must be tired by now! Why not go home and rest?"

"Yeah, especially after what you went through back on the mountain," Daisy added.

"Well, now that you mention it, I am pretty bushed," Luigi admitted. "I guess I'll set out for Yoshi's Island in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," Toadsworth replied.

With that, Luigi departed the castle once more and returned to his house for the evening. He hated to delay rescuing the others, but Luigi had faith that they could hold on until he arrived to stop Bowser. When he passed through the front door of his and Mario's home, Luigi immediately made way for the bedroom. He decided to check on the Poltergust 4000 before turning in, just to be sure it was still safe and sound. After opening the closet's secret compartment, Luigi was relieved to find it still there and in one piece. It wasn't likely that he would need to use it again since all of the ghosts had been returned to Professor E. Gadd's lab, but the plumber knew that anything could happen. After closing the closet, the exhausted Luigi jumped onto his green bed and glanced over at the empty red one.

It felt strange being there without Mario. Luigi guessed it was probably because that he hadn't had a night in this house without his brother for as long as he could remember. They'd gone through life together, after all. They weren't just fraternal twin brothers. They were partners and even best friends, despite Luigi's growing jealousy towards Mario. This train of thought soon led to another, however. As he looked at the vacant bed, Luigi's facial expression turned into a glare. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. With Mario captured, it was his turn to be the big hero. With Mario out of the way, Luigi could take over the spotlight. And with the Battle Stars, he could finally do that. And there was none that could stop him.

"Not even you, "bro," Luigi uttered as he finally dozed off, sarcastically using the nickname he sometimes addressed Mario by.

The next morning, Luigi felt refreshed and energized. When he hopped out of bed, he knew he was ready to hunt down another Battle Star and eagerly departed the house. He only hoped that this time, nothing would go wrong again while he was gone. If so, well, Luigi could only hope that Daisy and the Toads would be able to handle it until he returned. And if the plumber knew Daisy, she'd take care of things. After all, Bowser Jr. would likely dare not capture her again after the treatment Luigi had given him and Kamek on Mount Shroom. Still, both of them would definitely plot something else to bring Luigi's quest to an end, and the clad-green plumber had to be prepared. Needless to say, though, Luigi knew he would be. As long as he had faith in the Battle Stars, the stars would continue to serve him well and their power would not fail him. The only thing Luigi worried about now was how Mario and Bowser's other captives were faring.

Little did Luigi know, he had recently bought himself more time to put an end to the Koopa King's plans. With the Boos eliminated from his army, Bowser needed to take more time to rebuild his forces and delay the construction of his ultimate weapon, which was meant to conduct Mario's destruction. The furious Koopa King stomped his way into the chamber of his fortress which held Mario, Peach, and the cursed Yoshi, and had also served as a place for Bowser to cool his temper when he needed. After all, he could not think straight when he was so angry, and he needed a new plan to get Luigi out of his way. Yet, not even Kamek possessing Rosalina had managed to best the green-clad plumber, so this was easier said than done. Mario merely snickered as he watched the Koopa King storm inside the room.

"Heh. From the look on your face, I'm going to guess that my brother is giving you quite a hard time," Mario inferred, a grin on his face.

"Hmph," Bowser roared. "I will admit, he has forced me to postpone your destruction because much of my army has been diminished. I guess my giant bob-omb couldn't blast him far enough!"

"I knew it. He's proving you wrong, isn't he?"

"Ha! Luigi might have earned you at least a few more days of life, but he just got lucky! Had I known that _he_ was the one depicted in that stupid legend, and not you, that annoying green insect would be squished by now! RRRG!"

"Legend?" Mario wondered, his eyes widening.

"What do you mean?" Peach inquired.

"Ha, like I'm going to tell you anything about it!" Bowser cackled. "You've lucked out this time, but mark my words, I'm not through just yet!"

With that, the Koopa King stormed back out of the room, his anger having been calmed by some newfound motivation.

"What legend could Bowser have been talking about?" Peach wondered.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Mario admitted. "But from what he said, it sounded like he had seen Luigi in a picture, but thought it was me. That would explain why he went to such lengths to imprison us."

"Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Oh, I just wish we could learn more about it…"

"So do I. To think that my brother is part of a legend…"

While Mario and Peach contemplated this surprising discovery, Luigi was making his way back towards the boat he had originally used to return to the mainland from Yoshi's Island. If he was able to use it to do that, then it could get him back to the island. And since the plumber had already used this route once before, it was easy for him to navigate his way back towards the shore. Unfortunately, the sight he beheld when he arrived at the correct spot wasn't what he was expecting at all. Sitting at the edge of the shore where he had left it was his boat, only it was smashed into two pieces. The oars had also been broken. It looked as if Luigi had driven a Super Punch into it himself, only this obviously wasn't the case.

"Oh, that's terrific," Luigi grumbled angrily, figuring that this was the handiwork of more of Bowser's minions. "Now what am I going to do?"

Luigi merely stood there until his gaze found a path blocked by a fallen tree. It was the same one he had seen the first time he'd arrived from Yoshi's Island. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to do a little exploring since he could now bust his way through the tree using a Super Punch, Luigi approached it. He then launched his punch right into the trunk, breaking it apart and creating a passage for him. Not long after he had resumed his journey, however, Luigi soon heard rustling in some nearby bushes. Without warning, a group of Koopas and Hammer Bros had jumped out of the underbrush, ultimately surrounding him. Luigi had grown strong thanks to the Battle Stars as well as his own cunning, but he had never needed to face this many enemies at once before.

"Aw give me a break…" Luigi uttered in annoyance as the creatures closed in on him. He then recalled a special technique he and Mario had been able to use while in outer space. They only knew it because the Lumas, the star folk that Rosalina cared for, had granted it to them, but perhaps Luigi could duplicate it using the Battle Stars.

"Well, it's worth a shot."

With that, Luigi charged into a fierce spin, his fists raised outward. However, though he had only intended to spin once, Luigi found himself rotating several times in a row, and as he did so, a fierce and windy tornado erupted from his body. The force of the cyclone had been strong enough to launch all of Luigi's adversaries back into the distance, screams echoing from each of their mouths. When he had finally come to a halt, Luigi was slightly dizzy. When he regained his senses, he froze where he stood.

"Mama mia! That was awesome!" he exclaimed happily. "These Battle Stars just get better and better. I think I'll call that the Luigi Cyclone! Yahoo!"

Luigi happily continued to follow the beach path. Now, between power ups and the three attacks granted to him by the Battle Stars, the Super Punch, Super Jump, and Luigi Cyclone, the green-clad plumber felt like he could take on anything Bowser dished out at him and then some. Somehow, Luigi also felt that the Luigi Cyclone would be the final technique the stars gave him, but it didn't matter. The move was able to wipe out several enemies all at once. The plumber knew that he didn't have the stamina to use it repeatedly, and would have to recharge the attack after using it, but even so. It would come in handy at the right moments, for sure.

Luigi's thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard a pair of gruff, deep voices nearby. He paused and began to listen to them further, only to find his smile turning upside down when he found that these voices were quite familiar.

"Oh no…" he groaned. "Don't tell me it's those two…"

Luigi then dashed into the underbrush nearby and followed the voices as quietly as he could. Moments later, he found his suspicion confirmed much to his dismay. Standing next to a yellow and purple boat that was twice the size of Luigi's old rowboat were none other than the Wario brothers, Wario and Waluigi. These two, while they never worked for Bowser as far as the Mario brothers knew, were long time rivals of Mario and Luigi, and always strived to best them in anything that they did, with the exception of certain heroics. Wario, the shorter and chubbier of the two, and his younger brother, the tall and quite skinny Waluigi, couldn't care less how the Mushroom Kingdom faired against Bowser's antics as long as it didn't negatively affect them.

This time, Wario and Waluigi appeared to be arguing, and Luigi considered swiping the boat so he could get to Yoshi's Island. He quickly scrapped the idea, however, when he noticed that the brothers had an issue of their own to deal with. The boat's motor was lying on the ground nearby, smoking and dented beyond repair. Luigi could've still used the boat, if only his oars weren't busted. _So much for that idea_, Luigi thought in frustration. He wondered if the Koopas and Hammer Bros he'd met earlier were responsible for the damage to both boats.

"But we've got to do _something_ about this!" Waluigi shouted impatiently. "Someone else could find that treasure before we do!"

"I know, I know! Give me time to think, will ya?" Wario retorted, scratching the top of his head. "Bowser's lackies aren't getting away with this!"

Luigi then found himself smiling. Perhaps these two could actually be of use to him. He then stepped out of the underbrush to make himself known.

"Heh, having some trouble?" the plumber inquired rhetorically, folding his arms.

"What the—?" Wario gasped, jumping. "Well! If it isn't Mario's cowardly klutz of a brother!"

"Yeah, scared of anything lately?" Waluigi taunted.

Luigi merely grumbled. Wario's score had always been primarily with Mario, so that left Waluigi to constantly bully Luigi. As a result, Luigi grew to hate him the most out of the two. Today, however, the green-clad plumber need not worry about whatever either Wario or Waluigi said. With his power, he could flatten these two in a matter of seconds if he wanted.

"Actually, I'm not," Luigi calmly replied.

"Hahaha! Like we're going to believe that!" Wario countered. "You're nothing without Mario!"

"Yeah!" Waluigi added with a cackle. "Say, where is the red shorty anyway?"

Luigi merely chuckled. These two did not realize what trouble they'd be in if they continued to torment him.

"Ah, well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you," he replied. "Bowser captured him."

At that, the Wario brothers froze where they stood.

"Haha, you mean he actually lost?" Wario replied. "Wow. Just wow."

"I know, right?" Waluigi agreed. "Never thought we'd see the day."

"Neither did I, actually," Luigi added. "By the way, I'm on a quest to rescue him, but I need to get to Yoshi's Island. But Bowser's goons smashed my boat too. He's caused trouble for all three of us, so why not call a temporary truce?"

"And why should we help you?" Wario inquired. "And even if we wanted to, our motor is busted. We wanted to go find some sunken treasure, but the boat's useless, thanks to that brute's annoying minions."

"Well, for one thing, I could go get you a new motor," Luigi replied. "Provided that you keep your word that you'll help me out, that is. Also, if Mario isn't around, you can't compete with him anymore, can you?"

"Grr…" Wario uttered. "You have a point. But what if we didn't keep our end of the bargain?"

Luigi then glared at him, plucked both brothers by the collars of their shirts, and forced him to the sand on his knees. Both brothers soon squealed with fear.

"If you even so much as _try_ something so foolish, then you clowns are going to have more to worry about than a busted motor!" Luigi threatened. "So you both had better be here when I get back, or you'll be very sorry!"

"Waah! O-Okay, okay! You win!" Wario gave in, his body trembling. "We'll help you, I promise! Just let us go!"

"Good," Luigi replied and threw Waluigi to the ground, then Wario right into his brother. "You can start by telling me where you got the boat."

"Uh, uh, the beach shop somewhere up that way," Waluigi stammered as he pointed in the direction Luigi had been heading. "The Toad running it might have extra motors."

"W-What he said!" Wario seconded. "It's the truth, we swear!"

"It better be," Luigi replied hotly and walked past the brothers. He wasn't kidding either. It felt good to finally teach the brutes a lesson. Still, he was glad that they saw things his way. Wario and Waluigi were annoying, rather greedy, and troublesome, but at least they never stooped to the level of Bowser. All they really wanted was to be wealthy and be better than the Mario brothers at everything. The Koopa King wanted to take over the kingdom and take Peach as his queen, and that was enough for the Mario brothers to handle, especially with the current situation.

In truth, however, Luigi knew Wario and Waluigi had been telling the truth about the beach shop from the beginning. He'd been there a few times before, and they did indeed sell and rent boats. Luigi merely pretended not to know just to get the two brothers more riled up. It wasn't like they didn't deserve it, after all. Luigi snickered as he thought of how they were probably wondering how he'd gotten so strong. Around ten minutes after he'd left the Wario brothers, Luigi could see the beach shop in the distance. He quickly approached it in hopes that the Toad who ran it would give him a spare motor despite that it was for Wario and Waluigi's boat. The Mario brothers weren't the only ones who didn't like them, after all. Yet, they had a right to buy what they wanted as long as they could afford it and the Toads had to abide by that. Luigi just had to hope he had enough money to buy a motor.

When Luigi reached the front door of the shop, however, he nearly jumped. Several shouts echoed from the back of the building and then a loud crash made the plumber topple over.

"Stop! Thieves!" a voice yelled from inside. Several cackles echoed soon after, then faded away. Luigi quickly bolted inside the shop, figuring Bowser's minions must have struck again.

"Hey! What's going on in here?" he inquired.

"Dang it, a customer," the same voice from before replied. "I'm coming."

The owner of the shop soon emerged from a giant hole in the back wall of the building.

"Ah, you're Luigi," the owner identified. "What can I do for you?"

"Yeah. Did you just get robbed?" Luigi inquired.

"I sure did. Those stupid creatures just came out of nowhere and busted through the wall!" the owner explained.

"I see. I came to get a boat motor. I need one to get to Yoshi's Island. The boat I'll be taking recently had its motor destroyed."

"Wha—? That wouldn't happen to be the same boat those Wario brothers bought awhile back, now would it?"

"…As a matter of fact, it is, but it wasn't their fault. Bowser's minions attacked them, or so they claim. I convinced them to give me a ride to Yoshi's Island if I brought back a spare motor."

"Oh, I see. I'm afraid you're just a tad too late. I had one motor left, but that was the one piece of merchandise those robbers made off with."

"What? Well that's just great," Luigi opined in frustration. First his boat is trashed, then the spare motor is stolen. These urchins were really beginning to get on his nerves.

"I know, I wish there was something else I could do."

"Don't worry, I may as well go get the motor back. I'm not getting to that island otherwise."

"I understand, but are you sure you want to help those brothers?"

"Yeah, I should. They're a pain to deal with at times, but not even they deserve to get heckled by Bowser."

"Well, I guess you're right about that. Well, good luck in any case!"

"Thanks."

With that, Luigi departed the shop through the hole in the wall, hoping he could catch the thieves before they got too far away.

The path Luigi followed led him back towards the foothills of Mount Shroom, though to a different side of the mountain than where he had gone the first time. Within minutes, he found himself at a wide river, likely the same one that led to the waterfall where Daisy had waited for him. There was a metal drawbridge as well, but was not lowered, and the edges of the river were too high for Luigi to climb from in the water. Luigi then caught a glimpse of a large group of Hammer Bros, Boomerang Bros, Bob-omb Bros, Goombas, Piranha plants, Wigglers, and other sorts of enemies beyond the other side. The thieves that stole the motor were likely among them. Before he could wonder how he was going to defeat all of these adversaries, however, Luigi spotted the control box for the drawbridge nearby. Unfortunately, it had been smashed to the ground.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Luigi opined in annoyance. "What am I supposed to do now?"

The plumber sighed and glanced around. A Super Punch would probably destroy the bridge right out. Moments later, Luigi spotted what appeared to be a mushroom-shaped rock sitting to the far left of the bridge. He curiously approached it. It appeared to be a power-up, but Luigi wasn't impressed.

"Really? A rock?" he uttered. "Sigh… What have I got to lose?"

With that, he picked up the Rock Mushroom and gobbled it down. Suddenly, the fabric of Luigi's cap turned to rock and his overalls became brown instead of blue.

"…Alright, what in the Mushroom Kingdom is this?" he wondered in irritation. His gaze soon reached the drawbridge once more and his eyebrows rose.

"Wait a second…"

Luigi then ran back in front of the bridge and turned to face it. He jumped in the air, but this time, he did not come back down. Instead, his body became incased in a large boulder and rolled right into the erect drawbridge. The force of the impact was so great, that the bridge was forced to descend. The way it was constructed caused the other half to lower with it. Luigi's boulder was shattered upon impact, but a smile was left on his face nonetheless.

"That's what I'm talking about," he uttered proudly. He then assumed his boulder form once more to bowl over the enemies waiting for him on the other side.

"Yahoo!" the plumber shouted joyously as his targets were squashed one by one. The path turned out to be a dead end aside from a side route that led up Mount Shroom, so Luigi was able to finish every single one of the creatures easily. He spotted the Bob-omb Bro carrying the stolen motor at the head of the pack and flattened him last. The motor merely dropped to the ground afterward while Luigi collided with a nearby cliff in order to break out of the boulder. Thankfully, he managed not to crush the motor in the process, and once he was on foot again, Luigi quickly scooped it up and began making his way back to the boat shop.

After dashing back across the bridge and down the wooded path again, Luigi turned to see if he was being pursued by any enemies he might have somehow missed. Thankfully, he was alone and remained that way until he reentered the boat shop itself. The shopkeeper awaited him inside and approached as the plumber stopped to catch his breath.

"Ah, Luigi! You got the motor back!" the shopkeeper said excitedly. "Thanks so much!"

"No problem," Luigi replied and set the motor down.

"Eh? Is that outfit some kind of power-up?"

"Actually, yeah. So, how much is this motor?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. You look like you went through a good bit to get the motor back, so you can have it as a reward."

"Really? Thanks! That'll really help me out."

"But of course."

With that, Luigi took the motor again and exited the shop through the front door, hoping that the shopkeeper would be able to repair the damage to the building. The plumber then approached the shore, as he recalled that water could also disable power-ups that he and Mario used to fight off Bowser's minions. After stepping inside the cool ocean blue and ridding himself of the Rock Mushroom's effects, Luigi headed back to where Wario and Waluigi awaited him. At last, the next destination was Yoshi's Island, and hopefully a fourth Battle Star to add to the plumber's collection.

**Author's Note: Hey all, I'm soooo sorry for taking so long to update this. I was in writer's block for the longest time. I'll try not to take so long again, as I know that you readers have been waiting far too long already for a new chapter.**

**If you're not sure, by the way, I did not make up the Rock Mushroom. This power-up actually debuted in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and I enjoyed using it enough to bring it into this fic. The reason Luigi has no clue what it is at first is because this story is a sequel to the first Super Mario Galaxy game, which takes place in an alternate reality from SMG2. So now, Luigi's available power-ups are the Ghost Powder (which I did create, obviously), Fire Flower, and Rock Mushroom! Keep reading, and you'll see what other awesome power-ups I have waiting for our favorite green plumber! :D**


	14. Return to Yoshi's Island

**Author's Note: Well, I am SO not very good at updating this regularly, am I? Once again, I greatly apologize to my readers. I'm just not having much motivation to continue this, it seems. But don't worry, we have Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon coming out sometime soon, and hopefully that game will give me all the motivation I need! So stay tuned for future chapters!**

Chapter 14: Return to Yoshi's Island

As Luigi continued to make his way back to where the Wario brothers awaited him, the motor gradually grew heavy, and sweat formed on the sides of his forehead, dampening his hat and hair a little. Even with the Battle Stars, it seemed, Luigi only had so much stamina. He could only hope that he'd have enough to take down Bowser. Thankfully, it wasn't long before Wario and Waluigi's boat as well as the brothers themselves came into view and Luigi was able to slow down. He was also glad that it wouldn't be hard to get the brothers to install the motor while he took a rest. If the events from earlier meant anything, Wario and Waluigi wouldn't hesitate to do whatever Luigi told them to, as they now knew exactly what he was capable of should they refuse.

"Good, you both are here," Luigi spoke up as he approached them.

"Yep, see, we didn't wander off at all!" Wario confirmed.

"We've been here the whole time, just like you said!" Waluigi added.

"Excellent," Luigi commended as he set down the motor and began panting afterward. "Now, I busted heads to get this motor for you and I'm exhausted from carrying it. So you two install it. Right now."

"Yes, of course!" Wario quickly obeyed. He and Waluigi immediately took the motor and went to work.

_Heh, I bet I could make these two my servants if I wanted, _Luigi thought to himself with a chuckle. _But that's not really my style. Still, who'd have thought that having power like this could be so much fun? _The plumber then sagged against a nearby tree, rested his head upon his arms, and crossed his tired feet.

"Be sure to let me know when you're finished. We depart for Yoshi's Island immediately after," Luigi continued.

"Right, you got it!" Waluigi replied nearly instantly.

Luigi then began to imagine making Mario do favors for him as well. It obviously wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to him after what he'd been through, but it _did_ sound like a good way to pay him back for all the times he mistreated Luigi. Still, it could end up being far too similar to having a servant or maid, and as Luigi had mused, it wasn't something he was interested in. It wasn't like he was some power-hungry maniac, despite that he was, in actuality, searching for power. He simply needed it to bring down Bowser and rescue his hostages. And maybe, be an even better hero than Mario ever was.

"Alright, it's all set!" Wario announced minutes later. "We'll leave when you give the word!"

"Good. Let's push the boat into the water and get going then," Luigi replied and stood up.

With that, the three lined up behind the boat and shoved it into the water. With the combined strength of all three, the boat was afloat in a matter of seconds. They climbed inside afterwards, and once Wario started the motor, the boat took off through the sea. The three held onto their hats as the wind rushed in their faces. It actually felt nice despite that Luigi had to be sure not to lose his hat. Though, he had been lucky to get his hat back when it blew away on Mount Shroom. If it blew off in the middle of the ocean, finding it again would not be so easy. Luigi also hoped that he could continue to rely on the Wario brothers' boat for water transportation during his quest, as it was much more convenient than the little rowboat the Yoshis had given him. In fact, Bowser's minions having smashed it up wasn't so bad after all now that Luigi had access to a motorboat. He could go back and forth between the mainland and Yoshi's Island easily as long as Wario and Waluigi's new motor didn't get busted like the old one.

Since the motorboat was much faster than the rowboat, Luigi was able to spot Yoshi's Island itself within minutes. He hoped that its inhabitants were safe and sound, or at least able to deal with the creatures the plumber had seen the last time he was there. However, it had been awhile since Luigi had left, and a lot could've happened in the time that he was absent. His heart began to pound as the boat gradually approached the shore and came to a stop in the sand. It was near the same area Luigi had washed up on after Bowser had blasted him away in Toad Town and thankfully, he remembered the path Moshi had led him down before to where the other Yoshis awaited. Luigi hopped off of the boat and turned to the Wario brothers.

"Alright, listen up," the plumber ordered. "I'll probably be awhile, so you two can do your little treasure hunting thing if you want. I really don't care."

"Ah, th-thank you," Wario replied, though his voice was shaky.

"_But_," Luigi continued, throwing his hands on top of the boat's head. "If you two aren't here with the boat when I get back, then you're asking for trouble. Do I make myself clear?"

"O-Oh, yes, yes of course!" Waluigi assured with a nod. "We'll be here!"

"Good. Oh, and one more thing. If you happen to find a star of some kind while you're out here, you guard it with your lives and then hand it over to me when I get back. Do you hear me? You absolutely _cannot lose it!_ Or you'll regret it!"

In truth, Luigi actually _wanted_ the Wario brothers to scavenge the sea for treasure. He had recalled that the list of Battle Star locations Rosalina had left behind in Alvaro Cave listed the depths of the ocean as the resting place of one of the stars. There was a chance that Wario and Waluigi would stumble upon it, thus saving Luigi the trouble of searching for it himself. Not only would it continue to add to his growing power, but it would save him a lot of time to reach Bowser as well if the Wario brothers did the work.

"Oh, but of course!" Wario complied. "We promise to give any stars we find to you! Y-You can think of it as us returning the favor for you getting us the new motor."

"Yeah, th-that's right!" Waluigi seconded. "We'll help you in return for helping us!"

"Ah, not a bad way to put it, actually," Luigi agreed. "You two are smarter than you look. Now, I'm leaving. Don't forget what I said."

"D-Don't worry, we wouldn't dream of it!" Wario replied.

"Good."

With that, Luigi started down the same path he and Moshi had taken before. All he had to do now was reach the Yoshis at the end of it and ask for their aid again. Since they knew their island better than anyone for obvious reasons, surely they would have a good idea of where something as valuable as a Battle Star would be hiding. They might even be able to provide Luigi with a map so he didn't get lost. After all, this was only the second time he had been there, and during his first visit, Luigi had hardly any time to explore. What's more, Yoshi's Island was massive. From the stories Yoshi himself used to tell Mario and Luigi about when he had rescued the brothers when they were babies, he and his friends had traveled all over the island. They visited the warmest areas, the coldest areas, the highest areas, and the lowest areas. There were jungles and forests, a volcano, caves, small mountains, and more. It wasn't nearly the size of Mushroom Kingdom, but it was big enough for even experienced explorers to get lost in.

As Luigi continued down the path however, he soon realized that something wasn't right. There were more of Bowser's cronies waiting for him than before, and some of the palm trees had been knocked over. Their trunks were slender, so Luigi was able to jump over them with no problem, but the fact that he had more enemies to face now worried him. He quickened his pace so he could reach the clearing where he'd met the Yoshis during his previous visit. If Luigi could meet with even one of them, it could prove to be greatly beneficial. Even better, he also hoped to run into Moshi and see if he could help him again. The blue Yoshi's abilities had greatly aided Luigi once before, so he had no doubt that they would again.

When he arrived at the clearing, unfortunately, the sight that greeted Luigi was far from what he had hoped to see. There were more trees strewn on the ground throughout the area and not a single Yoshi was anywhere to be found. There appeared to be no monsters nearby either, but as Luigi decided that he had no choice but to pick another path and start searching the island on his own, he noticed a giant mass of green budge amongst the fallen trees. He took a closer look and soon realized that it was a Koopa shell more than twice the normal size. Suddenly, yellow arms and limbs emerged from its holes, followed by the head. The giant Koopa then slowly stood up and turned to face the one that woke it. With angry eyes, it stomped its massive feet towards Luigi, the impact being strong enough to make the ground slightly tremble and knock the plumber to the ground.

"Aah! Well this is just great!" Luigi opined in annoyance. "Now I've got an oversized Koopa to deal with!"

Suddenly, the Koopa came to a halt not more than a few yards away from Luigi and retreated back inside its shell. It then went into a spin and charged towards the surprised plumber.

"Waaah!" Luigi cried and jumped out of the way. He was lucky he could move just a little faster.

"Ugh, how am I going to fight against this?" he wondered in frustration. "I'll only shatter my knuckles if I try using a Super Punch on a shell that big."

Luigi quickly glanced around before avoiding another one of the Koopa's charging spin attacks. There weren't any power ups or other objects nearby that he could make use of and the Koopa's shell was able to smash right through any trees and shrubs. That explained the damage Luigi had seen earlier, but it hardly told him how he could bring down the creature.

_I think I need a weapon strong enough to knock it away as it charges at me…_ Luigi contemplated in his mind as he dodged yet another attack from the giant Koopa. _It's all I can…wait a minute!_ Luigi then remembered that he had a weapon that the Yoshis themselves had given to him after he claimed it from another enemy.

"My hammer!" the plumber realized. Luigi then quickly produced the hammer and clutched it in his fists. He had forgotten that he still had it since he hadn't needed it in a while. _Ugh, it's too small! But, maybe if I infuse some of the Battle Stars' power into it…_ Luigi then leaped away again to avoid being struck by the Koopa's shell. He then hefted his hammer into the air, hoping his three Battle Stars would do the trick. Moments later, the hammer glowed and grew to more than twice its normal size.

"Ha! Nothing will stop me from becoming the hero I so rightfully deserve to be!" Luigi shouted and swung the massive hammer at the Koopa as it charged for him once again. This time, the plumber managed to strike it with the hammer and send it flying to the ground on its back. The Koopa just lay there dizzy and helpless, only to have Luigi leap into the air above it and ram a Super Punch right into its torso. The Koopa bellowed in pain as Luigi jumped off of its belly and then quickly rolled over so it could stand up again. The Koopa repeated the same tactic it used before, only this time, it moved a little faster. Thankfully, Luigi was still able to swing his hammer fast enough to knock the creature down a second time, despite that it was getting a little heavy.

After the Koopa was struck by Luigi's super-sized fist once more, its eyes blazed with anger and it began to spin even faster as it charged towards the plumber with all its might. Luigi had to avoid its attack again before he was ready to swing the hammer, but once he did strike the Koopa's shell again, it didn't become dizzy and fall to the ground. This time, it managed to keep its balance and charge once more. However, Luigi wasn't giving up. He was getting exhausted from wielding such a heavy hammer, but after one more whack to the shell with it, the Koopa finally crashed to the ground in dizziness, allowing the plumber to deliver one more blow.

And luckily for Luigi, it turned out to be the final one. The Koopa bellowed again as it collapsed again and did not get up. Luigi sighed in relief as he allowed his hammer to return to its normal size. He was glad the giant Koopa went down fairly quickly, as he might have ended up pulling something from swinging such an oversized weapon otherwise. But thankfully, he hadn't, so Luigi felt able to continue searching for the Yoshis.

However, he soon spotted something on the path nearest to where he first found the giant Koopa that he hadn't noticed before. It was a trail of large footprints that headed towards the clearing, most likely left by the giant Koopa itself. Luigi decided that if he followed them to see where the creature came from, they could lead him to a clue to the Yoshis' whereabouts. What's more, the battle with the giant Koopa had left the other paths blocked with more fallen trees, and Luigi didn't want to waste time breaking his way through them. With that, the plumber rushed down the trail of footprints, hoping he wouldn't have to go too far to find at least one of the Yoshis, even if it wasn't Moshi.

It didn't take long for Luigi to notice that the trail was leading him towards the large volcano in the middle of the island. Somehow, he had a feeling that whatever had happened to the Yoshis had something to do with it. And just one lead would satisfy him for now. The good thing was, though, that Luigi could still sense Mario's presence far away, which meant that Bowser had not yet had his way with him. Perhaps Luigi managed to at least delay the Koopa king's plans, giving the brothers more time. This thought brought a grin to Luigi's face, as it proved that even he could put up a fight against Bowser's forces.

Sometime later, Luigi found himself approaching a hill at the foot of the volcano. He would have to pass over it to reach the volcano itself, but Luigi was willing to do so if it meant finding the Yoshis and the fourth Battle Star. The only downside was that like the first path Luigi had ventured through, this one was also lined with enemies. Luigi was able to squash them like bugs easily, but they proved to be quite an annoyance to him. Suddenly, however, just as the plumber reached the foot of the hill, a large, white egg with blue spots came rolling right towards him.

"GAAH!" Luigi shouted. The egg rolled so fast that he couldn't get out of the way in time. It slammed into his torso, knocking him into a tree nearby.

"Agh!" the plumber yelped as his back side hit the trunk. He moaned in pain as he slowly pushed the egg away and stood up. As Luigi gazed upon it, he realized that it looked strikingly familiar.

"Hold on, this is a Yoshi egg!" he noticed. "Only, it's much bigger than usual. I wonder…"

Luigi then jumped into the air and landed on the shell as hard as he could. However, it did not even crack. Whoever made the egg had given it an extremely hard shell. Luigi decided to try the hammer next. He produced it and swung it into the egg shell with all his might. This time, it cracked all over the place, allowing the shell to shatter, and out of the pieces popped a familiar blue Yoshi.

"Moshi!" Luigi greeted. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Huh? Oh, Luigi!" Moshi replied. "Thanks for getting me out of that shell!"

"No problem. How did you get in that egg? And what happened here? I ran into Bowser's goons all over the place. I even had to deal with a Koopa more than twice the normal size!"

"Isn't it obvious? There's only one being that would hold this much of a grudge against us Yoshis."

"Wait, you're right! Kamek!"

"Exactly. He brought more monsters here and even used his magic to create those giant Koopas. Then he sealed all of us inside eggs."

"You mean every single Yoshi is trapped in an egg like yours? Where are they?"

"Yeah. Then Kamek took everyone into the volcano and locked them up there. He also cast a spell on the volcano itself."

"Huh? What kind of spell?"

"A spell that causes it to gradually build up lava until it can hold no more. He's making it erupt violently enough to destroy the entire island and with my friends on it!"

"What?! That's insane! We have to stop this!"

"I know, but I don't know exactly where everyone is being held. That volcano has caves and paths running all over it."

"Well, how did you escape?"

"The enemies accidentally left me behind, and I managed to roll away unnoticed. In fact, I was actually hoping to find you."

"Huh. Well, I'm here. What's the quickest way inside the volcano? I might find my next Battle Star there too. It's the reason I came back in the first place."

"Ah, well, I'm afraid there is no quick way to get inside, but we're not too far from the nearest entrance as it is, so we might as well just stick with this path."

"Alright then. Could you help me search the volcano for that star as well as the Yoshis?"

"Sure. You'll need my help anyway, as it's far more difficult for a person to climb it than it is for a Yoshi. You'll see why when we get there."

"Okay. Then let's go."

Moshi nodded, and with that, Luigi hopped onto his back. The two then continued their journey to the volcano. Moshi expressed some nervousness about the trip, as they had no idea what kind of enemies or traps Kamek might have left for them, but he knew that only he and Luigi could rescue the captured Yoshis and save the island. Luigi also knew that a fourth Battle Star was waiting for him here and if the island went down, the star would probably be destroyed along with it, and he could not let that happen. But Luigi wasn't too worried. He had defeated Kamek twice before, and he could do it again. _It's only a matter of time now_, Luigi thought with a grin. _Soon, I'll have four Battle Stars in my possession, and with luck, those Wario brothers will bring me a fifth! No one will stop me from being an even greater hero than my brother!_


	15. Inside the Volcano

**Author's Note: Holy mother of being late, I apologize for leaving this story hanging for so long, everyone. I had a lot of motivation to continue this thanks to Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, but between having trouble putting this into words and a recent family tragedy striking (the details of which I don't really like talking about, especially in public), I just could not finish this nearly as soon as I had wanted. But I assure you all, I HAD started it on schedule, so it wasn't like I procrastinated the whole thing.**

**But on the flipside, we see some development in Moshi in this one and the gradual change in Luigi's attitude becoming more apparent. I shouldn't have much trouble with the next chapter either, as I know exactly how to start it for once! Well, I hope you all enjoy this and feel relieved that I haven't totally abandoned this fic. xP  
**

**P. S. There's a Dragonball Z Kai reference close to the end (as a shoutout to the awesome Youtube show Super Mario Bros. Z), specifically to the character Piccolo. You should know it when you see it if you're a DBZ Kai fan. There's also a reference to Fire Emblem: Awakening, one of Basilio's critical quotes, to be exact. If you've played through the game, you should know this one when you see it too. lol  
**

Chapter 15: Inside the Volcano

Moshi led Luigi down a twisting and gradually sloping path as they ventured closer and closer to the volcano. The volcano itself soon proved to be much larger and higher than it had originally appeared, and Luigi could now tell that rescuing all of the Yoshis as well as finding the fourth Battle Star before Kamek had his way with the island wouldn't be an easy task. Especially since neither Luigi nor Moshi had any idea how long they had before the volcano erupted. They could only hope that fate and time would be on their side and that they would find a way to save the island. Suddenly, however, as the pair approached the first sloping path up the volcano, the ground rumbled beneath them.

"Whoa… We need to hurry," Luigi pointed out. "Kamek isn't giving us a lot of time before this mountain goes boom."

"Yeah, but luckily for us, there are some quick routes that we use to get up the volcano that he doesn't know about," Moshi replied. "I'll show you."

"Alright then. I just hope it's quick enough."

"Honestly, if it isn't, then Kamek works _really_ fast. You'll see what I mean later."

"Well, if you say so."

With that, the two continued up the path and onto the volcano. Around the next corner, however, Luigi found the two were faced with a dead end. The path ended in a wall of rock, the top rising higher than Moshi could ever jump. The wall next to it was lined with a large and round light blue fruit. Luigi could've probably jumped to the top of the cliff if he used his Super Jump, but he needed Moshi for this mission, as only he knew the area well at all. But exactly how was the blue Yoshi planning to bypass this cliff?

"Uh, Moshi, are you sure we went the right way?" Luigi inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Absolutely. See that fruit growing up there? That's our key to climbing this mountain quickly. Watch."

Before Luigi could reply, however, Moshi extended his long tongue and gobbled the fruit down. Suddenly, the Yoshi's dark blue color became more of a sky blue and he inflated like a balloon until his body was roughly three times its normal size. He gradually rose higher into the air, with a very surprised Luigi hanging on tight, until both landed safely on top of the cliff.

"See? I told you!" Moshi spoke up happily. "That fruit is called a Blimp Fruit. You can see why."

"Yeah. Not exactly what I expected, but it works," Luigi replied. "I see the first cave entrance up ahead. We should check inside for the Yoshis."

"Right!"

At that, the two quickly proceeded into the cave, hoping that the nearest imprisoned Yoshi wasn't far away. When they arrived at the first chamber of the volcano's interior, Luigi wasn't surprised to see streams of lava flowing through various holes and cracks in the rocky walls. However, there were also small, rock-like creatures enveloped in flames hovering near them. They were accompanied by a few red-shelled Koopas. Moshi shuddered as his eyes scanned their surroundings.

"Yikes… I should've known. The volcano's been infested w-with enemies too," he uttered shakily.

"Hey, this is no time to be chicken! I have a star to find and this island is in trouble! And we're the only ones that can save it and the Yoshis."

"Y-Yeah, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. Still, you're right, I've got to pull myself together here."

"Glad to hear it. And what's worse, everyone's sunk if Kamek manages to destroy this place before I can find that Battle Star. I need it! I need the power of them all!"

"Yes, of course…" Moshi agreed, arching an eyebrow. "But if you'll pardon my asking, is something wrong? You seem different from the last time I saw you. And I don't like this change. In fact, you're starting to sound like you care more about getting that star than you do saving this island and my brethren."

"What? No! Of course not! I-I mean, I _do_ care about getting the star, but I care just as much about rescuing everyone! That's why I'm looking for the stars in the first place. To save the Mushroom Kingdom and finally be recognized a hero in my own right! And without my spotlight hog of a brother getting in the way!"

"…Right. Are you sure you aren't just jealous and craving more attention after being in Mario's shadow for so long? Because I think this power is starting to mess with your mind."

Luigi let out a chuckle before responding.

"Don't be ridiculous," he countered. "You act like I'm turning into some power-hungry madman bent on taking over the world or something. If anything, I'm trying to do the opposite."

_Maybe not that exactly, but I still can't quite agree,_ Moshi thought with a sigh.

"Well, if you say so," the blue Yoshi replied. "But I'm curious about these Battle Stars. I'd like to know more about them and why you need them so bad."

"Alright. I learned of them from Toadsworth back in Toad Town," Luigi explained and then told Moshi of the story on the Star Tablet.

"I see. It sounds like they really are the only way to stop Bowser this time. But let me give you some advice. Such power comes with a lot of responsibility. If you aren't careful and forget that responsibility, it'll only control you, instead of you controlling it."

"Yeah, I get it. I think I see another Yoshi egg on the other side of this area. In that cage over there."

"So it is," Moshi observed when he peered closer at the object Luigi was looking at. "A yellow speckled egg. I think I can bust the cage open with a little fire power. I just need to gobble up one of those red Koopas."

"Got it."

With that, the two proceeded further through, avoiding the floating lava rock creatures and making their way to the nearest red Koopa. After Moshi scooped it up with his tongue, he held onto it until he was within striking range of the cage. Once he and Luigi approached it, the blue Yoshi let loose three balls of flames upon the cage. They melted and broke through the metal nearly instantly, allowing Luigi to dismount from Moshi's back and use his hammer once again. A yellow Yoshi emerged from the egg's remains.

"Ah! Moshi! And Luigi too! Thank goodness you both are here!" he cried in relief. "I thought I was doomed."

"Yeah, I thought the same, until Luigi found me," Moshi agreed. "He came at the right time. Do you know where everyone else is being held?"

"Not exactly, I'm afraid, but I do know that they're all in the volcano somewhere and that Kamek even put a few of the others near the summit. I think the higher you go, the more of us you'll find. Kamek scattered everyone to make it more difficult for anyone to save all of us."

"That figures. Kamek himself is probably up there too. And that must mean—"

"The source of this whole situation is at the summit," Luigi finished. "I have a hunch that something else I'm looking for is there too."

"Bingo," Moshi replied. "There's just one little problem…"

"What now?" Luigi wondered in irritation.

"I've, well…never been up there before."

"…What?! I thought you said you knew this mountain!"

"Not all of it! Nobody here has had any good reason to go that close to the mountain crater! It can be dangerous, there's nothing of value, and I'm really afraid of heights."

"…Are you serious? A Yoshi that uses blue Koopa shells and Blimp Fruit and can jump even higher than the Yoshi that Bowser kidnapped is afraid of _heights?!_"

"I don't go _that_ high with those! I don't normally even use them much!"

"Oh for the love of… Whatever, arguing is only going to waste more time. Let's just go."

"Fine by me."

"Heh, you two are quite the duo," the yellow Yoshi commented with a snicker.

"Oh shut up," Moshi retorted. "Just get down from here safely."

"Hehe, right."

With that, the three went their separate ways, the yellow Yoshi heading in the opposite direction of Luigi and Moshi to go outside. Luigi and Moshi themselves, meanwhile, headed towards another tunnel nearby. It led them back outside, where more rocky cliffs and Blimp Fruit awaited them. After the two scaled two more cliffs using the fruit, they came upon another cave entrance, which would hopefully lead to another captured Yoshi. Luigi also hoped he'd find out what Moshi meant when he said they would be able to get up the mountain very fast, as the Blimp Fruit was a start, but it was hardly a quick method of travel. Still, no matter how the pair got to the volcano's summit, they had to do it before Kamek's magic would cause it to erupt.

Inside the next cave, however, Luigi and Moshi found themselves faced with a large river of lava. There didn't appear to be any ground on the other side either. The river merely snaked around a corner. Luigi scratched the back of his head in confusion, as he couldn't imagine at all how he and Moshi would get past this.

"Ah, finally," Moshi spoke up, a smile on his face.

"What do you mean? We'll get burned to a crisp if we touch that lava," Luigi pointed out.

"Not if I use one of those," Moshi replied and pointed to their left. Growing near the rocky wall was what appeared to be a large red pepper.

"Another sort of power up you Yoshis use?"

"Yep. Just watch. But hang onto your hat!"

With that, Moshi approached the pepper and gobbled it up as quickly as he had the Blimp Fruit. Suddenly, he turned a bright glowing red and zoomed off down the lava river faster than a speeding Bullet Bill.

"WHOAAA!" Luigi hollered, gritting his teeth and hanging tightly onto his hat just as Moshi had warned. But he had been right. He was moving so quickly and his body had grown so hot that the lava could no longer hurt him and they couldn't sink into it.

"HOT YOSHI COMING THROUGH!" Moshi shouted happily as they passed and ran over more of the floating fire rock creatures.

Mere moments later, the two finally came to a screeching halt on some solid ground. However, Moshi had been moving so fast that he couldn't stop before running smack into the wall and sending Luigi flying off of his back. Luckily, the plumber didn't fall anywhere near the lava.

"Ow…" Luigi groaned as he got up.

"Ugh…" Moshi uttered. "See, I told you we'd be able to move fast."

"Yeah, but you need to work on your braking."

"Heh, sorry about that…"

"Well, what _was_ that anyway?" Luigi wondered as he remounted Moshi.

"A Dash Pepper," Moshi replied. "If we need some extra speed, one of those will do the trick."

"So I noticed. Well, let's press on."

With that, the two continued down the path ahead, avoiding or defeating the red-shelled Koopas along the way. Luigi and Moshi didn't go very far, however, when they came upon a high ledge overlooking the rest of the area. Atop it sat another cage, and inside was a red speckled egg much like the yellow speckled one from earlier. Unfortunately, the ledge was too high for even Moshi to reach by jumping alone and there was no Blimp Fruit growing nearby.

"Ugh, there isn't anything I can do here," Moshi groaned in frustration.

"Hmm… I think I can do this," Luigi replied. "If you jump and I leap off your back, I should be able to get up there."

"Oh, that should work! But how will you open the cage?"

"These Battle Stars give me super strength that could probably rival Bowser's if he didn't have star power of his own. I can bend the bars."

"Wow. It's worth a shot then."

With that, Moshi leaped as high as he could go. Luigi then jumped off of him, and thankfully, his jump elevated him high enough to land safely on top of the ledge. The plumber approached the cage afterward and grasped two of the bars. Luigi pulled at them with all his might and they gradually began to bend. _Bet you could never do this, Mario_, Luigi thought to himself as he bent both bars far enough for him to slip through and grab the egg. He carefully carried it through the opening he had created and jumped back down from the ledge. Luigi ended up landing on his behind instead of his feet, but at least he had cushioned the egg and prevented the Yoshi inside from being hurt.

"Owww…" the plumber moaned as he stood up again.

"Now that's what I call an _egg_-cellent landing," Moshi joked.

"Oh shut it."

Luigi then wielded his hammer once again to free the Yoshi from its prison, shattering the egg to pieces just as he had the last one. A red Yoshi hopped out, relieved to finally have freedom again.

"Ah, Moshi! Luigi! Thank you so much for rescuing me! I was getting hot and bored inside that egg!" he said.

"I can imagine," Moshi replied. "You should get off the volcano quickly, it—"

Moshi was cut off by another rumbling of the earth. However, it was slightly fiercer than the first time.

"Yikes!" the red Yoshi cried.

"Argh! We need to move faster!" Luigi commented in frustration.

"You said it! I'm getting down from here! But please be careful!"

With that, the red Yoshi darted off, almost as if he had just eaten a Dash Pepper. Though, he would have to in order to cross the river of lava anyway.

As Luigi and Moshi continued, they eventually came to a fork in their path. The right tunnel led them to a dead end that contained an imprisoned light blue speckled Yoshi egg. After this Yoshi was set free, the other tunnel led Luigi and Moshi back outside. Along the way, they met more red Koopas and flaming rock creatures and also ran into large, round monsters with spikes that constantly tailed the pair. Their bodies were colored red and yellow and looked blazing hot. However, fireballs from Moshi using a red Koopa shell somehow destroyed them with ease.

As the pair climbed higher and higher on the volcano using the Blimp Fruit and Dash Pepper, they began to locate trapped Yoshis faster and the cave chambers grew smaller. This meant that they were nearing the summit. However, the periodic earthen trembles also grew stronger and closer together. Luigi and Moshi had nearly fallen off of the mountain a couple times because of them, causing Moshi to be severely shaken up due to his fear of heights. Fortunately, Luigi managed to calm him down quickly. They soon found, however, that the enemies also gradually grew in numbers, hinting that Kamek was doing all he could to stop the pair.

But neither Luigi nor Moshi were giving up, as the island and its inhabitants were still in grave danger. And Luigi needed to find the fourth Battle Star. The fate of his friends and the entire Mushroom Kingdom depended on their success. Moshi still wondered about the noticeable change in Luigi's attitude since the last time he'd seen him and hoped that it wouldn't affect his chances of saving everyone. If he continued to have the mindset of being better than Mario and getting the spotlight, someone would need to talk some sense into him and quickly.

"Ah, finally! We're almost there!" Luigi pointed out after the final Yoshi was rescued and the pair began traversing a staircase of rock.

"Yeah, the summit should be right at the top of these stairs," Moshi agreed. "We can't possibly be able to climb much higher. At least I hope we don't have to."

Luigi merely rolled his eyes as the two drew nearer to their destination. And as they had surmised, the staircase led them to the enormous volcano summit. It was a round, open area with a circular pool of lava in the center. All Moshi and Luigi had to stand on, however, was a fairly thin strip of rock surrounding the lava. If they had to battle Kamek there, it would not be easy. The two soon looked up to find the wicked Magikoopa himself hovering on his broomstick and waving his wand above the lava.

"Kamek! Hold it right there!" Luigi shouted angrily.

Kamek turned around to find the clad-green plumber mounted atop Moshi's back. Moshi himself yelped and began to tremble.

"Well, well, if it isn't Luigi again!" he replied with a cackle. "And I see you managed to team up with one of those Yoshis I captured. I must commend you both for making it all the way up here so fast."

"I-It wasn't hard!" Moshi countered in a shaky voice. "I know things about this volcano that y-you don't!"

"Oh, well woop-dee-doo for you! Too bad this is the last place you'll ever see! I was about to finally make this volcano erupt, but I now know how I can destroy you both and speed up this island's destruction at the same time!"

"Eeeep!" Moshi yelped again, trembling even more.

"Calm down, we can take whatever he throws at us!" Luigi commented.

"Then let's see how you handle Magmoopa!" Kamek replied and aimed his wand at the center of the lava pool. A large beam of colorful magic sparkles shot out of the wand and struck the lava.

"Bye! Hahaha!" Kamek cackled and flew off. Suddenly, the volcano shook violently, causing Moshi and Luigi to fall flat on the rock in seconds. The lava splashed as a large figure began to rise out of it. The figure turned out to be a giant Koopa-shaped creature with a shell made of hard rock. The shell had a pattern of cracks running all over it, inside of which flowed more lava. The Koopa's skin was red-orange and oozed flames and magma. The creature breathed a stream of fire as it roared deafeningly.

"AAAIEE!" Moshi cried, his eyes bulging at the sight of Magmoopa.

"Will you get ahold of yourself?!" Luigi retorted, returning to his feet. "We can't start panicking now!"

"I know, I know, sorry…" Moshi uttered, standing up and allowing Luigi to mount him once more. "I-I've just…never s-seen such a terrifying monster before!"

"Neither have I, but we have to destroy it if we're going to save this island! Otherwise, this thing will cause it to explode!"

Moshi then took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.

"Right. Then let's do this."

"That's more like it. Now to figure out exactly _how_ we're supposed to beat the monster…"

Suddenly, Magmoopa roared again and spit balls of fire in Moshi and Luigi's direction.

"Whoa!" Luigi blurted as the two quickly dashed out of the way.

"Oh man…" Moshi uttered. Seconds later, however, his eyes found a familiar red pepper growing nearby. There were a couple in the lava as well.

"H-Hey!" he cried. "There are Dash Peppers in here. They're growing like crazy too! Probably because it's the hottest part of the volcano."

"You're right, they are. But how can we use them against this boiling hot terror?" Luigi wondered.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Moshi replied as the two evaded yet another blast of flames from Magmoopa. "Or at least I'm trying to!"

As the pair began to circle the summit while dodging Magmoopa's attacks, the creature decided to change up its strategy somewhat. It summoned a group of normal-sized Koopa, some of which had red shells. Surprisingly, the rest had green shells.

"Eeeek! This thing can summon regular Koopas!" Moshi blurted, startled out of his wits. "I would say I should spit them at Magmoopa, but the red ones wouldn't hurt him because they produce fireballs and he's much too hot for a green one to do anything."

"Yeah, you're right. Still, they're our only weapons besides my hammer, which would get fried faster than an egg if I used it. Hmm…" Luigi contemplated.

Luigi had just as much trouble thinking as Moshi did due to Magmoopa constantly attacking them and summoning more Koopas. He soon noticed, however, that the lava swayed a little in the direction he and Moshi were going as Magmoopa adjusted its position to keep facing them. A light bulb soon lit up in the clad-green plumber's mind.

"Hold on! I think I know what to do! Remember how you could run across lava by using those peppers?" Luigi spoke up.

"Yeah," Moshi replied. "…Oh! I get it! We'll run in a circle on the lava and make Magmoopa dizzy so it'll fall over and maybe cause itself to cool down some! Then I can spit green Koopa shells at it!"

"Exactly! It's worth a shot."

"Alright then!"

With that, Moshi gobbled up a Dash Pepper and zoomed across the lava. He picked up more of them as he and Luigi continued to circle Magmoopa, causing the lava to flow with them fast enough to rotate the creature itself. Within seconds, Magmoopa became extremely dizzy, just as Luigi had predicted, and it collapsed onto the rock. Its body grayed a little and smoke rose from its skin. Moshi quickly scooped up a green Koopa and launched it right at Magmoopa's head. As the pair had hoped, the creature was damaged by the blow and roared in pain.

"Yes! Take that, you overgrown pile of rock!" Luigi shouted.

"Yeah! We've got it now!" Moshi cheered.

With that, Luigi and Moshi made an attempt to repeat their tactic and strike Magmoopa again. However, it wasn't easy due to how quickly it launched its flames and fireballs and how large they were. Magmoopa was now angry over being hurt as well, causing it to be more aggressive with its attacks. Whenever it summoned a few green Koopas, however, Moshi and Luigi quickly rushed to the nearest Dash Pepper and snagged it up just in time. Now able to fight back again, Magmoopa soon found itself dazed and collapsed onto the rock a second time.

After being hit with another green Koopa shell and a third one later, however, the fiery colossal Koopa roared loudly in rage. Not only did it breath twice as much fire and spit twice as many fireballs, but it soon began to violently splash the lava with its red-hot clawed hands in an attempt to reduce Luigi and Moshi to ashes in seconds.

"WAAAAH!" Moshi yelped as he repeated leaped from side to side to evade the flying molten rock and keep it from touching himself or Luigi.

"H-Hey! Moshi, control yourself! Remember our strategy!" Luigi replied. In truth, though, he was actually rather frightened at this point too. His body trembled slightly as another blob of lava barely missed him. But with just a little more effort, hopefully, Magmoopa would be defeated.

"Well, one more hit better finish this beast! I can't take this much longer!" Moshi blubbered.

On the flipside, the Magmoopa also summoned more regular Koopas than before, and when they appeared, Luigi and Moshi gradually made their way to a Dash Pepper one more time. Just when Moshi was about to gobble it up, however, a stream of lava brushed his arm.

"AAAOWW!" the blue Yoshi yelped in deep pain as he watched his blue skin turn a deep, dark purple.

"Moshi! Don't worry, you're alright! Just eat that pepper! It might be our last chance!" Luigi encouraged. "Please! You can do it!"

"But it hurts so bad… Oww…"

"I know, but you can take it! The fate of the island and the whole Mushroom Kingdom is in your hands! Or, is it your tongue? Oh whatever, you get the idea! Just eat the Dash Pepper and do it NOW!"

"Okay, okay! I'll try…"

With that, Moshi gobbled up the Dash Pepper as fast as he could and sped across the lava once more. The cold air being generated from his high speed caused his burn to sting even more, but Moshi adamantly attempted to ignore it as Magmoopa gradually became dazed again. Tears began to fly from Moshi's eyes as the pain grew near unbearable, but seconds later, Magmoopa finally fell back onto the rock. And one more Koopa shell proved to be the last. Magmoopa roared wildly in pain as it thrashed about and slowly sank into the depths of its lava pool. The lava itself also soon began to recede slowly.

Moments later, a regular red-shelled Koopa climbed out of the summit, slightly dazed. Luigi dismounted from Moshi's back and approached it as he produced his hammer. When it finally shook itself back to reality, the Koopa froze when it saw Luigi deviously staring at it with his hammer raised.

"Bye!" he said and swung the hammer into the creature's shell so hard that it was sent flying into the sky and away from the mountain.

Luigi then rejoined Moshi and the two watched as the volcano calmed down and returned to the state that it had originally been in. Yoshi's Island was finally safe once again, thanks to a multitude of teamwork. A smile formed on Moshi's face as he stared at his and Luigi's success.

"I did it…" the blue Yoshi uttered. "Owww… I did it!"

"Yes, you did!" Luigi agreed happily. "I told you you could tough it out."

"Yeah, you sure did, didn't you? But I don't know if I deserve a lot of credit."

"What? Of course you do! You were the real hero here, Moshi. You were the one that used those Dash Peppers and spit those green shells."

"I know, but I wouldn't have been able to do all that without your encouragement! And you came up with that strategy in the first place."

"That's true, but it takes real courage to actually go out there and do it. Trust me, I had to learn that myself when I started on this quest."

"Ah, well… Thank you, Luigi. We do make a good team though, if I do say so myself!"

"Now that I can agree on, partner."

"Yes, partners we are! …Oww!"

Moshi clutched his burned arm again after cheering.

"Yikes, that arm is looking worse than before," Luigi noticed. "You sit down for a while. I still need to get that Battle Star, but I'll find it as fast as I can."

"A-Alright. I just hope I can hold out until then. …Hey! Hold on, there's a cave opening down there above the lava! It must have been underneath all of it when it was almost overflowing!"

"Huh?"

Luigi then peered in the direction Moshi was pointing at. Sure enough, there was a small cave entrance sitting inside the summit where the lava had previously risen.

"That star must be in there then! It wasn't anywhere in those caves and tunnels throughout the mountain. I'll be right back."

Moshi nodded as Luigi carefully made his way down to the cave entrance. He then quickly entered it and just as he suspected, he was met with a glow like that of the other Battle Stars he carried. Only this one had a tint of orange. Luigi approached the glow and found the bright orange fourth Battle Star sitting atop a small pedestal of rock. Being literally inside the volcano's summit, it surely would have been lost forever if the mountain had successfully erupted as violently as Kamek had intended.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Luigi added the star to his collection and quickly exited the cave. He climbed out of the lava crater and made his way back to Moshi, who was still cradling his wounded arm and sitting against the rocky summit wall.

"Okay, I got the star!" Luigi announced. "Let's get you out of here now. It's a long way back down the mountain."

"Aw man… I wish I knew a shortcut. I really short shortcut…"

"I bet, but I'm sure most, if not all of the monsters are gone now."

"True, but—"

"Hey, Hey! Luigi!" a familiar female voice cut Moshi off. Luigi jumped as it reached his ears and looked around to find where it was coming from. However, there was no one in sight except for himself and Moshi. The sound of a large propeller soon echoed as well, and Luigi looked up to find none other than Daisy piloting what appeared to be a flower-shaped helicopter. The white petals above were the propeller, and the stem and leaves made up the rest of it. The leaf in front held Daisy and the contraption's controls. The leaf behind held a large seat for passengers.

"What the—? Daisy?!" Luigi replied, shaking his head.

"That's right! In the flesh!" the brunette princess replied with a smile and lowered her flower copter.

"How did you know where to find me?!" Luigi inquired as loudly as he could when Daisy was near the ground. She wouldn't hear him over the sound of the propeller otherwise.

"It's a long story!" Daisy admitted. "But it looks like your Yoshi friend there is hurt badly! Get him on here and we'll bring him to a more comfortable place on the island!"

"Oh, right! We should hurry, his burn is pretty bad!" Luigi replied as he helped Moshi onto the passenger seat and then buckled himself in.

"Don't worry, my Heli-Flower can get us anywhere in minutes! Hang on!"

With that, Daisy steered the Heli-Flower back into the sky and set a course away from the volcano. Luigi was relieved that he and Moshi didn't have to make their way down to the base on foot. He had no clue at all where Daisy had gotten her bizarre flying machine, and he would be sure to ask her later, but it definitely was saving him a lot of time and energy. And once Moshi was treated, he would rejoin Wario and Waluigi out at sea to search for Battle Star number five. If the brothers hadn't already found it, that is. And if they had, that would only make the situation better still.

**Author's Note: I must say, Magmoopa (whose name is a combination of "magma" and "Koopa") is my favorite boss in this story so far. I just think it was such an awesome idea and I couldn't wait to bring this guy in! So far, we have the skeletal snake Bonetail as boss #1, King Boo for boss #2, Possessed Rosalina is boss #3, and now Magmoopa is #4! And of course, you can expect some sort of sea monster as the fifth boss Luigi faces. I also can't believe I gave Daisy her own flower copter. Haha, we'll find out where she got this crazy thing and how it plays a role in Luigi's quest next chapter. ;D**


	16. Wario and Waluigi's Discovery

Chapter 16: Wario and Waluigi's Discovery

Once they were airborne and away from the volcano, Luigi was once again tempted to ask Daisy to explain herself. However, he knew that Moshi's injury came first, and he was grateful Daisy had shown up when she did. It would have taken a great deal more time to travel back down the mountain on foot, as with Moshi's burn, he wouldn't have been in any shape to use more Blimp Fruits and Dash Peppers. Not to mention that Wario and Waluigi likely would get impatient from waiting so long for Luigi to return. He wouldn't have blamed them despite that he had told them to be at the shore with the boat when he rejoined them. Anyone would get bored waiting for so much time. Thankfully, however, it didn't take long for the other Yoshis to come in view, all waiting together in another large clearing.

"Ah! Daisy, down there!" Luigi instructed, pointing to the group.

"I see them! Hang on!" Daisy replied and prepared to land the Heli-Flower. She then gradually had it descend towards the clearing containing the Yoshi tribe.

As soon as the machine touched the ground, Luigi immediately unbuckled himself and Moshi and aided the blue Yoshi in stepping off. Daisy followed and introduced herself to the rest of the Yoshis. They were grateful for her aid in rescuing their heroes.

"We got so worried when we saw a heap of lava fly out of the top of the volcano!" a red Yoshi continued. "What the heck happened up there?"

"Kamek had let a huge monster make its home in the summit," Luigi explained. "It hit Moshi with a small bit of lava as we were battling it."

"Yeah… It was terrifying!" Moshi added. "Ow…"

"Oh my! Don't worry about a thing, Moshi! Some of us will go get that plant we use for burns!" a light blue Yoshi offered.

"Ah, yes. Thank you…"

With that, the light blue Yoshi and two other Yoshis left the group to seek out the aforementioned herbal plant.

"Wow, I must say, the Yoshis are pretty intelligent," Daisy commented. "Not that I expected them to be stupid or anything, of course."

"Yeah, they are pretty sophisticated for a dinosaur tribe," Luigi agreed. "Now, Daisy, can you please explain to me where you got this flower copter and how you knew where I was? I'm very grateful, but I'm also quite confused."

Luigi scratched the back of his head as he spoke his words.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Daisy replied. "I do need to tell you, don't I? Haha, the Toads and I built it while you were gone. I figured all the traveling you've been doing and with the limited time that you have has been a real burden. I decided to help you get around better by getting you some new transportation!"

"I see. That really is a big help, but only leave when everyone is absolutely sure the town will be safe while you're away, alright?"

"Well, of course. I'm not _that_ reckless. Now as for how I knew where you were, you had mentioned before that you were headed to Yoshi's Island, and you'd been gone an awfully long time. So after the copter was finished and tested and all, I flew it out here and noticed the weird stuff happening on the volcano. I figured you had to be up there."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. And for rescuing Moshi and I."

"No problem! I'm glad I could do it! Although, I noticed something odd on my way here. I saw this boat on the water, with two weird looking guys in it. One was tall and skinny and wearing a purple shirt and dark blue overalls. The other was short, fat, and wearing purple overalls and yellow shirt. They had hats like yours and Mario's, only in the same colors as their shirts. Are they the rivals Mario told me about awhile back?"

"Ah, yeah. Wario and Waluigi, two brothers who really love getting on our nerves. They're not really villains, though. In fact, they can be pretty helpful at times when you convince them the right way. They're the reason I got back here because I found my own boat smashed to pieces. But these two can be real bullies sometimes, I swear. Good thing I managed to, well, _intimidate_ them with my strength."

"Heh, I see. Mario sorta said the same thing. Glad they're not working for Bowser."

"Yeah, though I doubt they'd ever do that unless Bowser was paying them a big fat allowance for it. They hate him just as much as the rest of us do right now, truth be told."

"Oh, then that's a relief. Well, I should get back to town. Do you need me to take you there too?"

"Thanks, but I'm going to stick around for a little longer and then rejoin the Wario brothers. I need to go back to sea because there should be another star there. If those brothers didn't find it first, that is. I kind of told them to keep an eye out for it."

"Oh, alright, then good luck with that! But before I go, take this."

Daisy then handed Luigi a small flower-shaped remote with a single button in the center.

"Press that to call me if you ever need another lift! It's also a tracking device, so I'll be able to find you in no time at all and take you anywhere in the kingdom that you've already explored. I'd fly you to other places, but we could get totally lost."

"Alright, that might be a big help if I find I need to return to town in the middle of a journey. Thanks so much, Daisy."

"Not a problem, my friend! Just be careful, you hear me?"

"Haha, of course."

With that, the two bid their goodbyes and Daisy took to the air once more in the Heli-Flower. Luigi then went to ensure that Moshi would be well taken care of. He watched as a few Yoshis gathered herbs and leaves, probably to mix a medicine to treat their injured friend's burn. One Yoshi pulled up a large palm leaf while the others placed their ingredients on it. The herbs and smaller leaves were ground down with a rock and stick and then mixed with another leaf full of ocean water.

"We use a mixture of these herbs to treat burns," Moshi explained. "Since we live by a volcano, such an injury is well known to us."

"Even though it's not very active?" Luigi wondered.

"Well, sometimes the occasional eruptions are so sudden that Yoshis going for a stroll don't have enough time to get to safety. And bits of lava spewing from the top and dropping all the way down to the foohills is common in these eruptions. They've even started fires."

"Oh, I see. Well, it looks like you're in good hands, so I'm going to move on. I still have three more stars to find."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. As you just said, you have more important things to worry about. But one last thing before you go."

"Oh?"

"Remember that egg you found me in?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Moshi smiled before replying.

"Well, you may see it again in the future."

"…Wait a minute, you mean you can egg-warp?! I thought only the Yoshi Bowser took hostage could do that!"

"Nope! I learned to do it too in case he becomes unavailable for whatever reason. Two other Yoshis are also learning it, but haven't yet perfected it. It's the most difficult trick we have, which is why so few of us can use it."

"Oh. I hadn't any idea. That'll be helpful, so if I see your blue speckled egg, I can break it to call upon you should I need you again."

"Exactly! And these eggs won't be a cursed trap, so you won't need your hammer to break them. Well, see you around!"

Luigi bid his goodbye and headed back towards the island's coastline. He didn't get very far, however, before realizing that he'd been gone so long that he had forgotten exactly where he left Wario and Waluigi. _Ah, I'm an idiot!_ Luigi chastised in his mind. _I knew I should've picked a better meeting place!_ With no choice but to hunt the brothers down, Luigi continued traveling towards the nearest beach. With Kamek's spell on the volcano broken, many of the monsters that had lurked in the area before were gone, though some stragglers still remained. This was likely either because Bowser was still in control of the Grand Battle Star or Kamek's magic hadn't yet worn off entirely. The Magikoopa wasn't defeated, so he could still have his power affect island's wellbeing.

After fending off the remaining enemies and reaching the sandy beach ahead, Luigi scanned the waters and sand for the Wario brothers, hoping to find their boat ashore quickly. He _had_ told them to be on shore when he returned; he just hoped that they didn't get impatient and disappear. Otherwise, Luigi would have to call Daisy back and she probably had just arrived at the Mushroom Kingdom castle. And he didn't like the idea of turning that trip into a waste.

Finally, after traveling the beaches for what must've been at least half an hour, Luigi spotted the boat belonging to the Wario brothers, as well as Wario and Waluigi themselves. However, for an unknown reason, the two were shivering as if they had seen King Boo face to face. The boat looked empty as well aside from some of the brothers' scuba diving gear, indicating that they likely hadn't found anything on their hunt. Luigi quickly approached them to find out.

"Hey, what are you two shaking for?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow. "I'm only going to beat you to a pulp if you get me mad."

"Ah! Luigi!" Wario replied, almost jumping. "What a relief! You're not gonna believe what happened out in the water!"

"Yeah, something major is going on down there!" Waluigi added.

"We couldn't find a single bit of treasure because of it!" Wario continued.

"Oh? Explain," Luigi commented, quite curious about what the brothers encountered.

"Y-Yeah, we didn't find any stars, sadly…" Wario began. "But we did find something else that might interest you! It was a giant sunken ship a-and with a submarine attached!"

"That's right, we went over to it right away because sunken ships always have treasure!" Waluigi said. "But then this monster came out of a nearby cave!"

"A monster?" Luigi wondered, confused again.

"Yeah, it was like an octopus or something, but ten times as big!" Wario described. "It tried to eat us and it managed to get my scuba tank! I almost drowned because of it!"

"It was either an octopus or a squid, that's for sure," Waluigi agreed. "We're not going back down there, that thing is way too scary!"

"Sounds like a kraken, a mythological sea creature said to attack ships and their crews," Luigi replied. "It resembles a massive octopus or squid."

"Th-Then that's what it was!" Wario confirmed. "Honest! And your star might be in that ship!"

Luigi merely let a lopsided smile cross his features and chuckled.

"I swear, if Bowser wasn't causing so much trouble, I'd say your story is completely ridiculous," he remarked. "But at this point, I'm willing to follow any possible leads, so I'll check it out. Just take me back out to sea. Besides, _something_ had to have happened to your scuba tank."

"Oh, yes sir!" Wario obeyed.

With that, the three boarded the boat once more and started up the engine. Luigi decided that if this kraken the brothers mentioned liked eating scuba gear, he'd be best off not taking the remaining tank in the boat. He and Mario figured out ways to remain underwater for long periods of time anyway. They used bubbles that would spawn from holes in the rock and coral reefs to get air and taught themselves to hold their breath for a sizeable amount of time. It was obviously riskier than resorting to scuba gear, but Luigi hardly had a choice. The brothers halted the boat somewhere northwest of Yoshi's Island and northeast of the mainland.

"I-It's somewhere around here, I think…" Wario stammered. "I bet Bowser is in cahoots with that beast!"

"He probably does have something to do with this, yes," Luigi agreed.

"W-We'd give you a hand, b-but we're so scared and just don't have any idea what we could do!" Waluigi said.

"Without the missing scuba gear, you're right, there isn't much you can do. But if I find something, be ready up here. Otherwise, don't even think about leaving."

"O-Of course!" Wario agreed.

"But. If this so-called kraken surfaces while I'm gone, one of you grab the remaining scuba tank and find me. The other will keep it busy by letting it chase him until I get there."

"W-W-What?!" Waluigi blurted. "Are you serious?!"

"Does this look not serious to you?!" Luigi retorted, getting in the brothers' faces with a glare.

"Wah! Okay, okay! We'll do our best!" Wario promised.

"Thank you. But before I go, is there anything else you can tell me about this kraken or the cave it came from?"

"Well, it happened so fast, so we don't remember a whole lot…" Wario admitted. "But it definitely tried to squeeze us to death with those tentacles! It smashed my scuba tank like it was a twig!"

"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes!" Waluigi seconded. "And we only got a glimpse of the cave, but it almost looked like it was under the ship and submarine. I-It's hard to explain."

"Huh. Well, at least I know what to keep an eye out for. Thanks. I'm off now."

With that, Luigi stepped onto the edge of the boat.

"Sigh… Here goes nothing."

He dove into the water and made no hesitation to begin swimming deeper. The good thing was, Wario and Waluigi had led Luigi right to an area with a lot of rocks and coral reefs, so air bubble holes were hardly difficult to find. He didn't have to swim very far, however, before he noticed something quite out of the ordinary, yet familiar. It was a gray mushroom whose top was more pointed than that of other mushrooms Luigi had encountered. It also had two white eye shapes inside a black blotch on the front. The green-clad plumber had never seen this mushroom before, but he had a strong hunch he knew what it was. _You have got to be kidding me,_ he thought. _Oh well, hopefully it'll be useful for _something.

With that, Luigi grabbed the mushroom and gobbled it down. Suddenly, his hat turned gray and became pointy while the rest of his body was encased in a grayish green outfit with stubby tentacles. His arms were inside larger tentacles. All that could be seen was his face.

"Sigh… I knew it," Luigi commented, looking at his rather embarrassing new garb. "A Blooper Suit."

It was true. Luigi was now dressed like a gray squid-like creature called a Blooper. They tended to be quite the annoyance to Mario and Luigi when they had to go under water, particularly when they would suddenly jolt themselves in their direction in an attempt to spear them with their pointy heads. Just seconds after he spoke, however, Luigi came to a startling realization.

"Wait a minute! I can breathe! Heh, this just got a lot easier."

Luigi then continued on his exploration, and soon found that he could move even more swiftly than before through the water.

"Ho ho! I can swim as fast as that motorboat! I bet I know how to attack with this thing too!"

With that, Luigi turned his attention to some red fish known as Cheep Cheeps nearby. He aimed the pointy head of his suit at them and zoomed through the water once more. Just as he figured, he was able to bash them hard enough to destroy them.

"Yahoo!" Luigi hollered happily as he repeated this on other enemies. However, he soon came upon puffer fish enemies and Bloopers themselves. The Bloopers, this time, did not harm him, as they likely thought Luigi was one of their own. But the puffer fish repeatedly produced and withdrew their sharp spikes. After thinking a moment, Luigi remembered that Bloopers were also able to squirt black ink. He had a feeling his would be coming out of an awkward location if he could do the same, but Luigi had no choice but to try it on these tough enemies.

"I better never have to do this in front of my friends," the plumber mumbled in embarrassment and aimed at one of the puffer fish. As he squeezed his tentacles, the black ink went flying out, just as he predicted. It blinded the fish, causing it to withdraw its spikes yet again so Luigi could literally strike head on.

Luigi was surprised how long it was taking him to find the ship and submarine the Wario brothers had spoken of. How hard could it really be to spot such a thing? Wherever they were, Luigi hoped he'd find more Blooper Mushrooms inside or nearby in case he lost his current suit. Finally, after what must have been at least ten more minutes of swimming, Luigi arrived at a large open space at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by a lot more rock and coral. Near the center was the remains of a massive white cruise ship. Many holes had been created on the outside, suggesting that it had to have been hit by large objects, such as torpedoes. However, the boat also looked rather old and not quite as advanced as ships of the current time period. And as Wario and Waluigi said, a submarine was attached to it as well. It, too, had torpedo-size holes on the outside.

"Whoa…" Luigi uttered, his eyes widening at the sight before him. "Those brothers weren't joking. I'd better move quietly so I don't alert the kraken."

With that, Luigi swam closer to the ship. Upon further inspection, he noticed that something was familiar about it. He definitely hadn't seen the ship before, but the holes in it and the sub made him wonder if he knew it from somewhere.

"Wait…" he paused a few moments later. "I think I know what ship this is!"

The plumber then quickly, but quietly began circling the vessel, in hopes he could still find the name of it painted somewhere on it. And as luck would have it, he found several letters on the hull, which consisted of M, A, J, S, T, C, and various letters from the word "mushroom." Luigi's eyes widened upon figuring out what it originally read.

"I knew it! This is the _Majestic Mushroom!_ I once read that it sank over two hundred years ago and its remains were never found! Ugh, I can't believe I have to credit those Wario Brothers for finding it…"

Luigi grumbled at the unappealing idea of Wario and Waluigi's names appearing in a history book. He was interrupted seconds later, however, by an unfamiliar voice.

"That is correct, good sir."

"YAAAH!" Luigi blurted, turning around to see a translucent figure before him. It was in the shape of a man around his height. He had dark blonde hair and wore an orange formal outfit that consisted of golden fabricated shoulder pads and orange dress shoes. Upon his head was a gold crown similar to Peach's, only it had blue and red jewels instead of light blue and pink. His ghostly body caused the color to be partially faded, however.

"Oh, my apologies. I did not mean to frighten you," the man went on. "Please forgive me."

"Wh-Who are you?" Luigi uttered, hoping this wasn't some hostile ghost that escaped from one of Professor E. Gadd's paintings.

"Ah, pardon me for not introducing myself. My name is Apricot. I am an ancestor of your Princess Peach and was a prince of the Mushroom Kingdom…" the man replied and then turned to depressingly gaze upon the _Majestic Mushroom_. "Before I died in the battle that sank this poor ship."

**Author's Note: Yeeaah, this took longer than expected. I apologize…again. But I was delayed when my laptop stopped working right and I had to send it to Dell for repairs. The holiday season and my job kept me busy for a while too, especially since we recently had inventory at work (I work in a retail store).**

**But ANYWAY, we've finally gotten to see Luigi's next new power-up! The Blooper Mushroom! It allows him to breathe under water, swim faster than normal, and squirt black ink from his…er…tentacles (honest to goodness, it's not REALLY supposed to come out of his butt lol). It's quite handy for undersea exploration. ^^**

**We've also met a new character, the restless spirit of Prince Apricot, one of Peach's ancestors. We'll learn more about him next chapter. I gave him a fruit name because Peach has a fruit name too. In fact, an apricot is very similar to a peach and is probably one of its biological relatives in real life.**


	17. The Majestic Mushroom

Chapter 17: The _Majestic Mushroom_

Luigi simply remained silent and blinked upon hearing Apricot's words. The prince continued before he could respond.

"Even now, after so many years, the memory still haunts me on occasion."

"Whoa. Time out," Luigi finally replied. "I'm very confused here. You say you're the ghost of one of Peach's ancestors, and you certainly look it, so I believe you on that account. But I still have a lot of questions. Like why in blazes would a cruise ship be sailing in the middle of a combat zone? And why was it targeted? And why was this submarine with it? And why was there even a battle in the first place?"

"I understand, don't worry. And I can tell you the full story," Apricot replied. "Centuries ago, a three way war erupted between the races of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Toads, the Yoshis, and the Koopas all fought against each other, anger and hatred in their hearts."

Luigi was now even more in shock than he was before.

"…You must be joking. The Toads and Yoshis are really good friends now. The Koopas still cause us trouble every now and then though."

"True, but I'm afraid that back in my day, they were all enemies. The war began when quarrels over resources, land, water, and other such necessities escalated too far. The Koopas invaded the Toads first, and later the Toads attacked the Yoshis with the belief that they convinced the Koopas to declare war. The Yoshis and Koopas are both reptilian races, so the Toads easily assumed that they decided to work together. The Yoshis were outraged at this and pressed to defend themselves."

"Mama mia…"

"Indeed. I was surprised that the Yoshis put up any fight at all. They've always been peace-loving creatures that hated fighting, after all. But I suppose they had no choice. I did not want to harm them, but I could not rule out the idea that they were allied with the Koopas. I ordered some of the Toad soldiers to investigate the Yoshis, but the situation grew hostile faster than I could've ever imagined. The battle was soon taken to the sea because of the island the Yoshis called home and no one wanted to end up destroying the entire kingdom."

"Makes sense. So where exactly does this ship and submarine come in?"

"I'm getting to that. I wanted to try forging a peace with the Yoshis and then put an end to the Koopas' ridiculous rampage, so I decided to take a ship and another group of soldiers out to Yoshi's Island. But in order not to draw attention from the Koopas, we decided to use one of our cruise ships. Of course, these ships were not designed for battle, so they could not be used to defend ourselves. That is why we attached the submarine below, as it _was_ a war vehicle and would only be used as a last resort."

Apricot continued his story and explained that the cruise ship would sail around the main area of combat so it would simply appear to be another boat cruise for tourists. However, a Koopa airship that had been blasted out of the sky landed near the ship and its fleeing crew climbed aboard to take over. They soon discovered Apricot and his men, as well as their plan to turn all of the Yoshis against them. The Koopas rallied a few more of their airships and pursued the _Majestic Mushroom_ relentlessly.

"My men insisted that I take one of the lifeboats and try to flee unnoticed, but I felt that doing so would be little different from abandoning all of the people aboard the vessel," Apricot went on. "I also didn't believe it would have been easier than it sounded. So I went with my men to board the submarine, only to find that the Koopas were also using the undersea vehicles. We were soon surrounded by airships and submarines, and our doom was nigh. They fired torpedoes and bullet bills and within seconds, the _Majestic Mushroom_ disappeared beneath the waves. Our submarine managed to take out another submarine and airship, but it wasn't enough. And…well, here I am."

"But… But the peace _was_ forged with the Yoshis, right?" Luigi inquired. "Like I said, we're friends now!"

"Actually, yes. The one good thing to come out of this was that peace. My world went black for a while after I perished, but once I awoke as a wandering spirit, I saw the Yoshis pulling some of my soldiers to safety on their island. There were a few survivors of the wreckage, but they had to report that their prince had been lost despite that he wished to forge a peace. The Yoshis decided that the Koopas had gone too far between attacking a defenseless cruise ship and murdering the prince without a care in the world. The Toads thanked them for their help and thus they allied with one another to defeat the Koopas and end the war at last."

"I see… So your death kind of started it all."

"Indeed. I only wish I could have prevented a war from starting at all."

"I bet, but some things are just beyond even a royal's control."

"That is true. But I'm glad that I could at least make a difference."

"Me too. This also explains why the Koopas are still rather hostile today. The bitterness from the defeat runs in their veins, including Bowser's."

"That's right."

"They must not like talking about it either, because it's never been mentioned in any of our conflicts."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"So, how is it that you can communicate with the living? Or is it only certain individuals with special abilities?"

"Actually, I am not sure. Perhaps it's one of those special abilities that you mention."

"That's possible."

Apricot then eyed Luigi's garb further, finally taking note of the oddity of the Blooper Suit.

"By the way, I must say. You have an interesting taste in diving suits," he said.

"Huh? Oh, this is one of many power ups my brother and I are able to use," Luigi explained. "This one is modeled after a sea creature called a Blooper."

"Oh, I see. I've never heard of such a thing before. They must have been discovered after my time."

"Probably. Oh! My name's Luigi, by the way. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I got carried away with my confusion."

"Luigi? I thought something about you was familiar. You're one of the famous Mario Brothers. Word about you two has spread so far, it's even reached me down here."

"Tch…" Luigi grumbled. "More like Mario is the famous brother. I'm always left in the dust."

"Well, it's still an honor to meet you and it's good to know that someone is keeping the Koopas in check. So, if you wish to explore this ship, I can help you. I know it like the back of my hand."

"Oh, thanks. And that would be most appreciated. I'm pressed for time. I'll explain along the way."

"Fair enough."

"I have one more question though. I found out—"

"Ah! Apricot, there you are!" a squeaky feminine voice interrupted. Luigi and Apricot turned to see a Cheep-Cheep swimming towards them. However, this one wasn't like the other Cheep-Cheeps Luigi had seen. It was colored pink instead of the normal red, eyelashes protruded from its eyes, and the fin on its head was curled. It had to be a female.

"Apricot, I was afraid something happened!" the Cheep-Cheep cried.

"Ah, Chee-Chee. Don't worry, I'm fine," Apricot replied with a smile. "Nothing here can harm me anyway. I'm a ghost, remember?"

"Oh yeah! I always forget that. Who's your new friend?"

"Oh, this is Luigi, one of the Mario Brothers we've heard so much about. Luigi, this is my friend, Chee-Chee."

"Squeeee! I've always wanted to meet you or Mario! You two are my heroes!" Chee-Chee blurted ecstatically.

"Er…" Luigi uttered, his mouth dropping in surprise. "Did I miss something here? Cheep-Cheeps are normally our enemies."

"Oh, not me! I'm one of the good fish in this sea!" Chee-Chee replied. "You just don't see many of them because all the bad fish like scaring us off! But not me, I'm brave!"

"That you are, my friend," Apricot agreed. "Especially considering the beast that recently made its home here."

"I was about to ask if you knew about a kraken-like monster that was living here," Luigi pointed out. "I recently found out about it myself."

Here, Apricot paused for a moment. His eyes diverted away.

"Is something wrong?" Luigi wondered.

"Well… The truth is, even though it cannot harm me due to my spiritual form, the monster still frightens me. I don't know where it came from, but it appeared here recently and scared away all of the peaceful creatures that once inhabited the _Majestic Mushroom's_ remains. I fear that it will eventually destroy the rest of my beloved ship and then move on to terrorize the entire sea and any fishermen that happen to be on the water."

"Oh…"

"Yeah! It scares me too, but Apricot and I want to find a way to get rid of it!" Chee-Chee added.

"That too," Apricot agreed.

"Then maybe we can work together. I might be strong enough to destroy it, but I may also need help. I'm looking for something that it's possibly guarding as well," Luigi explained. "That's why I would like to explore the ship and the submarine. It could be anywhere around here."

"Alright. I haven't seen anything unusual around here recently besides that monster, but I never really searched either, so we'll take you through."

"Yeah, I know this ship well too, thanks to Prince Apricot!" Chee-Chee seconded.

"Great! But let's not draw attention to ourselves yet. If I can find what I'm looking for before that beast finds us, I'll stand a better chance of beating it," Luigi continued.

"Got it," Apricot replied. "Now follow us."

Luigi nodded, and with that, the ghostly prince and Chee-Chee led Luigi inside the ship's remains. The nearest torpedo hole led to the basement, where Luigi saw the remains of metal stairs, small gray pipes, and the ship's engine. Luigi was surprised he could even tell the engine apart from everything else since it was smashed into at least a few pieces. Cheep-Cheeps and Bloopers swam nearby too, prompting Luigi to fend them off. Chee-Chee also turned out to be a fighter and managed to tackle her enemy brethren hard enough to destroy them.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Luigi complimented.

"Thanks, Luigi! That means so much coming from you!" Chee-Chee cried happily. "I do my best so none of these traitors bothers his highness."

"Heh, indeed you do," Apricot replied with a small chuckle. "And I'm grateful. But it's sad what's become of the ship remains. Peaceful sea creatures used to make their homes around here. Now only enemies lurk about."

"Yeah," Luigi agreed. "Bowser's goons scared everything off alright. As long as I'm here though, we can get past them."

"I don't doubt it, but just be careful. The enemies grow more numerous as we travel farther inside," Apricot warned.

"Alright, thanks for the warning."

With that, Apricot and Chee-Chee led Luigi up to the ship's next level, where the cabins and halls were. Some of the rooms had been blocked by fallen ship debris, but Luigi was able to blast through it easily with his charge attack. However, all the group found was the remains of furniture and doors. Beds, dressers, mirrors, and a manner of other objects were strewn about and some rooms were even missing their doors entirely. Bedding and curtains were ripped to shreds as well.

"The Koopas invaded the ship before they sunk it. They wanted to make sure all the Toads were dead, and they wanted to collect anything of value," Apricot said. "It's a miracle that they didn't get my crown."

"Really?" Luigi wondered. "I'd have thought that that would be the most valuable thing on the boat."

"I thought so too. But I went down with the submarine before they found me. So my crown ended up buried somewhere in the sea bed along with my bones. I suspect that there was some sort of miscommunication between the Koopas on board and their airships and submarines, as some of their own allies died when the ship went down as well. But of course, it didn't matter. They still managed to defeat me, just as they wanted. They must have decided that searching the wreckage for my crown was a waste of time."

"I see…"

_I can't believe I'm saying this, but now I'm glad that the kraken monster scared off the Wario brothers_, Luigi thought. _They'd have swiped Apricot's crown in an instant._

"So, what exactly are you looking for? Chee-Chee and I can probably be of more help if we knew more about it," Apricot pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm really curious!" Chee-Chee seconded.

"Good point," Luigi replied. He then produced his green Battle Star.

"One of these," he continued. "Only, it's probably a different color."

Apricot and Chee-Chee's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"I-It can't be… Is that…?" Apricot uttered.

"Oh wow, it must be!" Chee-Chee cried. "One of the seven Battle Stars!"

Luigi merely blinked in surprise.

"You know about them?"

"We do," Apricot confirmed. "I read about the legend some time before the war began. I had wanted to seek the stars out myself, but never found the opportunity. But…if you're able to use their power, then…"

"That's right. I'm the hero they chose to grant their power to," Luigi finished. "I learned this on Mount Shroom. A hidden chamber at the top of the mountain held a stone tablet that described the legend in great detail."

"I see… How many do you have?"

"Right now? Four."

It was Apricot's turn to blink.

"Wow… You've been sorely underestimated as a hero then."

"You don't know the half of it…"

Luigi described his quest further to his new friends and told of how he was previously trapped in Mario's shadow. He also told of how he desired nothing more than the power of the stars so he could escape that fate and be his own hero.

"With all of them, I can do things that even Mario would probably never be able to do," Luigi finished. "I'll never have to live in his shadow again. Enemies of the Mushroom Kingdom will fear me."

"I agree, but… Mario, Princess Peach, and your friend Yoshi, _all_ captured?" Apricot replied, astonished to no end.

"Yeah. Bowser has them all locked up somewhere far away. I have a special connection with Mario that allows me to sense where he is. And right now, it's…faint. I'm the only one left that can do anything about this."

"Oh my… The situation is worse than I expected…"

"Me too!" Chee-Chee added. "Bowser is so cruel!"

"Indeed. But Luigi, why did he leave you free?" Apricot wondered.

At this, Luigi chuckled.

"Funny you should ask. He thought I would do nothing but run and hide in cowardice."

"Well, he was sure wrong," Apricot commented.

"You got that right. I used to be a bit of a coward, but that behavior is ancient history now."

"It sure is! You're so brave!" Chee-Chee complimented.

"Why thanks."

"Also, it sounds like there's some sort of conflict between you and Mario," Apricot pointed out. "Did you two quarrel over some issues or something?"

"Ha, it's more like I have an issue with him," Luigi scoffed. "He never acknowledges how much I do for him. I doubt he'll ever understand how I feel though. He's always too busy taking all the credit."

"I see. I do understand what you're saying. But maybe you just need to ask him this. Would he have gotten where he is without you?"

"…I highly doubt it. But that's a good point. I'll ask him. I can't guarantee that it will work, though."

"Of course. What matters is that you try."

"Right. Oh, and by the way. I discovered that there are actually eight Battle Stars."

"Well, if you count the Grand Battle Star, then that's true."

"Yeah, anyone that knows the legend knows that," Chee-Chee seconded.

"No, I mean eight _not_ counting that one," Luigi replied. "It seems that only seven were seen falling towards the planet along with the Grand Battle Star, but the Star Tablet on Mount Shroom shows me holding eight smaller stars above my head, each the same size."

"…Really? This is most intriguing," Apricot commented.

"Yeah, very mysterious!" Chee-Chee agreed. "I wonder where that eighth star is?"

"Nobody knows. Not even the person that showed me the legend and gave me the map to the other seven has any idea," Luigi admitted. "But once this is all over and Bowser is finished, I'll search for it. I'm too pressed for time to look for it before then. But it can only make me stronger once I do."

"I see…" Apricot commented. "Well, let's press on. There's still more of the ship to see."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

With that, the trio continued through the ship, looking in every possible location for Luigi's next Battle Star. Apricot and Chee-Chee led him to the captain's cabin, the galley, the dining hall, the show auditorium, and more. Luigi wasn't surprised to see the refrigerator and cupboards in the galley bare. Any food that had been there had likely either rotted away over time or got eaten by sea life. Pieces of the tables, chairs, and curtains floated about in the water inside the dining hall and auditorium. A rickety old wooden ship's wheel was all that remained in the captain's cabin aside from scattered bits of furniture. Unfortunately, none of the other rooms contained the star or any hints to its whereabouts either, despite having been heavily guarded by more sea enemies. In fact, there wasn't even anything that could be called treasure. Even if the kraken monster didn't exist, the Wario brothers would've come away disappointed anyway, it seemed.

"Ugh," Luigi uttered in annoyance. "We have to search the submarine next."

"Of course," Apricot replied. "If the star is there, we should be able to get to it without alerting the monster."

"Right."

"There's only one route down there now, however. Large amounts of debris and coral reefs block other potential paths."

"That's fine with me, as long as we can reach it."

Apricot and Chee-Chee then brought Luigi through another section of the basement, then through a tunnel of coral and debris, just as Apricot and described. A torpedo hole entrance into the submarine was ahead. It wasn't as large as the ship, but it still held plenty of places for a Battle Star to be hidden. The control room was the first stop, then the passenger area, the supply room, and engine room.

A lot of the buttons and knobs in the control room were broken and rusted, and the leather seats torn. Some of the seats in the passenger area were missing or torn as well. Fewer enemies made their homes in the submarine than in the ship, but they were still as annoying as ever, even though Chee-Chee helped hold them off. Unfortunately, the engine room didn't warrant a single clue either. The rusted old machine was just that.

"This is getting frustrating," Luigi uttered.

"I know… The only place around here left to look…is that monster's cave," Apricot pointed out with a shudder.

"Yeah! I'm even afraid of it. But if you need help defeating it, I'll do my best, Luigi!" Chee-Chee promised.

"Thanks. I probably will need some aid if we alert it before I find the star. But let's go quietly."

"Right!"

With that, Apricot and Chee-Chee led Luigi to another hole in the roof of the submarine. It took them back out into the open water and right in front of an oversized cave entrance. Luigi's eyes widened as he gazed upon how massive it was. In fact, it was so big that Bowser's personal airship could've probably fit into it. Luigi shook his head in astonishment.

"Well… H-Here it is," Apricot spoke up, gulping.

"M-Mama mia!" Luigi blurted. "This thing is enormous!"

"This is nothing compared to what lurks inside…" Apricot replied. "Trust me."

"Yeah," Chee-Chee agreed. "Th-This thing is _really_ scary."

"Well, we won't find the star sitting here," Luigi said. "Let's go. And remember to stay quiet."

Both Apricot and Chee-Chee nodded. But before the trio could move even a few feet, the area around them trembled for a few seconds.

"…Oh no," Luigi uttered.

Suddenly, three enormous blue tentacles shot out from inside the cave, one of which barely missed Luigi and Chee-Chee. They would pass right through Apricot's body since he was a spirit.

"Yipe!" Chee-Chee cried, staying close to him and Luigi. Five more tentacles soon followed the first three, and a near-deafening roar echoed from inside the cave. Each tentacle had small spikes on the ends, showing that this creature was dangerous enough without its entire body exposed.

"Mama mia!" Luigi blurted as he and Chee-Chee were almost blown backward by the creature's breath. It didn't take long for the rest of the beast to reveal itself as its main body gradually emerged from its resting place. It had angry, glowing red eyes and patches of what appeared to be rock dotted the top of its slightly pointed head.

"I t-told you this beast was frightening!" Apricot blurted.

"You weren't kidding!" Luigi replied. "I don't think even I could do much damage to it without finding a weak point!"

"Then we b-better start looking for one!" Chee-Chee insisted as the monster swung its tentacles at its adversaries again.

"Yeah, and fast," Luigi agreed. "Apricot, since it can't hurt you, I need you to help me out with that. Chee-Chee, do you think you can distract the creature?"

"I can try. Thankfully, I can swim fast enough to dodge its tentacles!" Chee-Chee obliged.

"Good, that's all you have to do."

"Alright! By the way, I was thinking. Kroctopus. That's a fitting name for it! It _is_ like both a kraken and an octopus."

"Fine, let's just kill this thing before it kills us!"

With that, Apricot followed Luigi as the two scanned Kroctopus's body for any potential weak areas. Chee-Chee taunted and distracted the monster, and as she had said, she was definitely quick enough to avoid being hit by its long tentacles. However, she would run out of energy if Luigi and Apricot took too long finding a way to damage it. What's more, Kroctopus didn't focus all his attention on Chee-Chee. He still aimed at Luigi and Apricot once in a while as well. Unfortunately, all the pair could find was a tough scaly body full of suction cupped tentacles. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary that could've been a weak point.

"Ugh!" Luigi blurted in irritation. "It doesn't seem to have a weak point! Think, Luigi, think!"

"Well, we have to do something soon, or else both you and Chee-Chee will become its lunch!" Apricot pointed out. "And I doubt attacking its nasty organs would be appealing."

"I know… Wait, that's it!" Luigi realized. "Apricot, you're a genius!"

Apricot shook his head.

"Wait, what?"

"If we can't harm it from the outside, then we have to go _inside _and attack its heart!"

"…You can't be serious."

"I am! Trust me, it should work! Though I don't know how I'm going to get in there with all of these tentacles in the way."

"That is a problem…"

Suddenly, one of Kroctopus's tentacles rose up behind Luigi. Luigi was too busy thinking to notice, however, and Apricot suddenly gaped in fear.

"LUIGI, LOOK OUT!"

Apricot, without even remembering that he was a ghost, soared right through Luigi and then right into the tentacle. The tentacle protruded from Apricot's body, but it stopped in its trail just inches away from Luigi's head.

"Wha…?!" Luigi blurted.

"Hey! I think I stopped it!" Apricot blurted. "I don't know how I had forgotten that I'm only a spirit, but I really wanted to get you out of the way somehow. Still, I seem to have taken control of the beast's tentacle!"

"…Hey, yeah! I can see it trying to pull away from you. You must be able to go into other beings and possess them!" Luigi realized. "Do you think you can go into the monster's head and force his mouth open for me?"

"Well, I can try. I don't know how well I'll do though."

"Just try. …But wait, is it possible that you might feel pain?"

"It doesn't matter. I'd sacrifice myself to stop this beast any day. It's caused too much damage around here as it is. It destroys homes, steals food, and other terrible things. Besides, I've been dead for over two hundred years. I can't be killed any more than I already have been."

"True. I'm counting on you then."

"Of course. Although, this creature is very strong. I doubt I can maintain control for very long. So you'll have to move quickly."

"I'll do my best."

"Hey! Can you guys _please_ hurry up?!" Chee-Chee shouted from nearby as she was still evading flying tentacles.

"Don't worry, we have a plan!" Luigi replied. "Apricot, go now!"

"Right!"

Apricot then soared through the water and soon disappeared inside Kroctopus's head. As he and Luigi suspected, Apricot was able to force the beast to stop attacking and open its mouth. Its tentacles were now spread wide for Luigi to swim right by and up into the beast's body. He swam as fast as possible so he could get in as many blows as he could before Apricot was forced back out. Thankfully, Kroctopus's heart wasn't hard to find. Luigi approached it without hesitation and repeatedly launched his pointy Blooper head into it. Kroctopus could only bellow in pain from blow after blow.

After a few moments, however, Luigi suddenly felt Kroctopus's body tremble and himself being shot back into the water. Apricot had lost control after all and was sent sprawling as well.

"See, I told you!" Apricot blurted when he spotted Luigi again.

"Don't worry, you did fine! We just need to keep this up until that thing dies!" Luigi replied.

"Of course…"

"That was so clever though!" Chee-Chee complimented. "We can win for sure!"

"We should," Luigi agreed.

Apricot had been dazed for a few moments due to having been thrown out of Kroctopus's head, but was eventually able to take control of the creature a second time to allow Luigi to deliver more painful strikes. This was certainly causing the monster to take damage, but Kroctopus had a tough heart and strong mind. Apricot could never maintain control for more than half a minute and so far, none of Luigi's blows destroyed the creature. This was definitely the strongest monster he'd ever faced, even more powerful than a normal strength Bowser, most likely. And the toughest battle he'd ever gotten into.

When Luigi was given an opportunity to deliver a third set of strikes, however, the unexpected happened. After Luigi attacked, Kroctopus grew angrier than ever. Luigi flew into a sea rock upon being spit out and Apricot was sent into such a spiraling soar that he did not move even after slowing down. Luigi's eyes widened as the ghost prince remained floating there in the water, motionless. Chee-Chee squealed fearfully when she saw her friend.

"Oh no! Prince Apricot! I was afraid something like this would happen!"

"B-But he's already dead!" Luigi pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he can't be knocked out. Even as a ghost, he still has a mind and ghostly brain. I'm sorry, Luigi, but I have to watch over his highness and keep him from floating away! The currents can be unpredictable! You'll have to finish this on your own!"

"Errrgh! This is terrific," Luigi grumbled angrily. "Apricot's out cold, Chee-Chee's unavailable, and I'm fresh out of ideas."

For now, all Luigi could do was avoid getting flattened by Kroctopus's tentacles. He still protected his mouth extremely well, making it difficult for Luigi to find a way in again. Chee-Chee, meanwhile, swam circles around Apricot's ghostly body to keep him in place until he woke. Her movements provided little currents that would prevent him from floating off. _Keep in one place…_ Luigi repeated in his mind. _Aha!_ He then swam upwards, prompting Kroctopus's tentacles to follow. Once he was above the monster's head, Luigi swam in all different directions, luring the tentacles into a tangled mess. It wasn't long before they were in a giant knot which Kroctopus had a hard time undoing. His tentacles were stuck in one spot above his head and his mouth was open once again as a result.

"You're done!" Luigi shouted as he darted back inside Kroctopus's body and aimed for his heart one last time. Several more blows turned out to be enough to do the trick. Kroctopus bellowed even louder than before as his heart burst into guts and slime. The rest of his body began to tremble, and Luigi quickly tried to scramble out. Unfortunately, he didn't make it and Kroctopus's entire body soon exploded just as his heart had. His tentacles sunk towards the ocean floor and the gooey, slimey masses that were once part of his head followed. However, Luigi did not immediately emerge from any of them.

"Oh no! Luigi!" Chee-Chee hollered, pausing and almost forgetting about Apricot, who was still unconscious.

The remains of Kroctopus's head soon settled at the top of the creature's cave. Chee-Chee felt tears build up in her eyes when the mass began to stir. Luigi's hand soon rose out if it, and the rest of him followed moments later. He was covered in giant octopus guts, but he made it out alive.

"Ugggh! Disgusting!" Luigi opined as he shook himself off. The ocean water easily cleaned him up.

"Luigi, you're alive!" Chee-Chee cheered.

"Of course. It was like gelatin. Nowhere near strong enough to crush me."

"Oh yeah! Heh."

Luigi then swam up to the Cheep-Cheep, who was still at Apricot's side.

"Apricot still hasn't woken up?"

"No…"

"Ugh. But he has to. Like he said, he's already dead, so he can't die again… Can he?"

"I don't know. I've heard of ghosts being sent to the afterlife so they can finally rest peacefully, but not this way…"

"Hmm… Well, if this is the last time we'll see him, then he was a big help today. And he gave up his time as a ghost to save the sea from that monster."

"Yeah…"

Chee-Chee couldn't prevent herself from tearing up.

"I have to keep looking for that fifth star though. So I guess I'll see you around for now," Luigi continued.

"Right. See you…"

Luigi then swam back down to the cave. It was the only place left in the area that he thought would likely hold the next Battle Star. Just as he approached, Luigi spotted something that he was sure hadn't been there before. A faint glow was coming from the back of the cave. The impact from Kroctopus's remains falling upon it must have jolted some cracks open. This was quite fortunate, as not even Luigi would've been strong enough to bust through a cave as big as this one was. But now, his fifth Battle Star was practically in his hands. _Heh heh… Five down, two to go. Nobody can stop me._

**Author's Note: We've met another new character, Chee-Chee the Cheep-Cheep! We've seen named ally characters that are from enemy tribes before (such as Goombella the Goomba and Bow the Boo), so I decided this time we'll meet a Cheep-Cheep. She's a good friend of Apricot's and a big fan of the Mario bros. Luigi still isn't convinced that he's just as loved as his bro though, and his desire to be a better hero is showing again.**

**But is Apricot going to be alright after that battle with Kroctopus? Ghosts in stories sometimes do not remain in the world of the living forever and go into a peaceful eternal slumber at last once their purpose is fulfilled, as far as I've seen. Has Apricot fulfilled his? We'll find out next time!**


End file.
